THE  GIANT  AND  THE  STAR 


MADISON  CAWEIN 


The  Giant  and  the  Star 


The 

Giant  and  the  Star 

Little  Annals  in  Rhyme 


By 

Madison  Cawein 


.   . 


Boston 

Small,  Maynard  &  Company 
Publishers 


Copyright,  1909 
By   Madison   Cawein 


The  University  Press,  Cambridge,  U.S.A. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

The  Giant  and  the  Star 3 

Toyland 9 

The  Land  of  Candy 15 

Sun  and  Flowers 24 

Fairies 26 

The  Lubber  Fiend 29 

Toadstools 34 

The  Boy  Next  Door 38 

Certain  Truths  about  Certain  Things 42 

Bad  Luck 48 

The  Lamplight  Camp 50 

The  Scarecrow 52 

Beetle  and  Moth 54 

Old  Man  Rain 56 

The  Little  Boy,  the  Wind,  and  the  Rain     ....  57 

Sounds  and  Sights 59 

Katydids  and  the  Moon 61 

Topsy  Turvy 63 

Little  Girlie  Good  Enough 65 

Frogs  at  Night 68 

Ragamuffin 70 

The  Jack-o'-Lantern 73 

Old  Jack  Frost 76 

The  Pond 79 

The  Charcoal  Man 82 

Old  Sis  Snow 86 

The  Birthday  Party 88 

V 


346452 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Santa  Glaus. 91 

Forerunners 94 

The  Christmas  Tree 96 

Christmas  Eve 99 

Nothing  to  Do 102 

Old  Man  Winter 106 

A  Long,  Long  Way 110 

Tomboy 112 

The  Boy  on  the  Farm 116 

Old  Snake  Doctor 119 

The  Devil's  Race-Horse 122 

The  Little  Boy  and  his  Shadow 125 

The  Ghost 129 

The  Poppet-Show 132 

Dough  Face 136 

Little  Boy  Bad  and  Little  Girl  Rude 139 

Problems 143 

What  the  Trees  Said  to  the  Little  Boy       ....  146 

Little  Boy  Sleepy 147 

Time  to  Get  Up 149 

Dilly  Dally 151 

Little  Bird 153 

Hey,  Little  Boy 155 

Fiddledeedee  and  the  Bumblebee 157 

Happy-Go-Lucky 159 

Winter  Days 161 

A  Song  for  All  Day 163 

A  Boy's  Heart 165 

Boyhood 168 

Epilogue 171 


VI 


THE    GIANT    AND    THE    STAR 


TO    MY   LITTLE    SON   PRESTON 


,  who  are  four  years  old; 
You,  with  the  eyes  of  blue; 
You,  with  the  age  of  gold 
Young  in  the  heart  of  you, 
Boy  with  the  eyes  of  blue: 

You,  wtth  the  face  so  fair, 
Innocent-uttered  words, 
All  the  glad  sunlight  there  > 
Music  of  all  the  birds, 
Boy,  in  your  face  and  words: 

Take  you  my  sheaf  of  rhymes, 
Sung  for  your  childish  ear; 
Rhymes  you  have  loved,  at  times 
Begged  for,  and  sat  to  hear, 
Lending  a  loving  ear. 

Since  you  have  listened,  sweet, 
They  to  some  worth  attained; 
Since  in  your  heart's  young  beat 
They  for  a  while  remained, 
They  to  some  worth  attained. 


The 

Giant  and  the  Star 

THE    GIANT   AND    THE    STAR 

TTERE's  the  tale  my  father  told, 

•^  •*•     Walking  in  the  park  one  night, 

When  the  stars  shone  big  and  bright, 

And  the  autumn  wind  blew  cold:  — 

Once  a  giant  lived  of  old 

In  a  far-off  country,  —  far 

As  the  moon  is,  —  where  one  star, 

Golden  bright  and  fair  of  ray, 

Lit  the  people  on  their  way, 

In  the  darkness  gone  astray. 

And  this  star  was  beautiful 
As  a  baby's  eyes  of  blue, 
And  as  bright  as  they  are,  too, 
Brighter,  father  said.    And  who'll 
Ever  guess  what  happened?     You'll 
Wonder  when  I  tell  you  that 
This  great,  ugly  giant  sat 
In  his  den,  among  the  bones 
Of  dead  pilgrims,  luckless  ones, 
Throwing  at  this  star  big  stones. 
3 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

By  his  side  a  lion  crouched, 
A  great  cub,  who  helped  him  catch 
Men  and  women;    keeping  watch 
Night  and  day:    the  giant  slouched 
In  or  out  the  cave  and  pouched 
Travelers.     His  club,  a  tree, 
Knotted,  flung  across  his  knee. 
So  he  lounged  or  sat,  his  eyes, 
Red  as  flames,  fixed  on  the  skies, 
Watching  for  that  star  to  rise. 


For,  you  see,  he  'd  had  no  meat 

For  a  week  or  two;   the  light 

Of  the  star  led  people  right; 

He  just  gnashed  his  teeth  and  eat 

Herbs;    the  lion  at  his  feet 

Huddled,  mad  with  hunger,  too; 

Glaring,  as  all  lions  do, 

Gaunt  it  crouched  and  whined  and  howled, 

While  the  giant  prowled  and  prowled, 

Or  sat  sullen  and  just  growled. 

How  he  hated  all  mankind! 
So  he  growled  there  all  day  long; 
And  his  big  voice,  like  a  gong, 
Made  the  mountain  ring.    And  blind, 
4 


THE     GIANT    AND     THE     STAR 

Like  a  bat,  without  a  mind, 
He  could  see  no  sense  or  use 
In  that  star;    so  would  abuse, 
Curse  it,  all  because  its  light, 
Like  a  lamp,  led  pilgrims  right, 
And  they  were  n't  lost  in  night. 

For,  you  see,  the  only  food 
Of  this  awful  ogre  was 
Men  and  women;    and  because 
They  escaped  him  in  the  wood, — 
And  it  happened  that  he  could 
Never  get  enough  to  eat, — 
Waiting  there  for  human  meat, 
Thus  he  thought,  "  If  it  were  out, 
Then  they  'd  come  my  way,  no  doubt, 
Having  night  here  all  about. 

"  I  '11  just  blow  it  out,"  he  said, 
And  heaved  up  his  bulky  bones, 
And  went  grumbling  up  the  stones 
To  the  very  mountain's  head, 
Shaking  with  his  mighty  tread 
All  the  crags  and  pines  around. 
Then  he  sat  there  on  the  ground 
And  began  to  blow  and  blow, 
Till  at  last,  oh  slow,  so  slow! 
Duller  grew  that  star's  bright  glow. 
5 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Then  the  giant  stopped  a  bit, 
And  drew  in  another  breath: 
Saying,  "  This  will  be  its  death !  " 
Bulged  his  cheeks  and  blew  at  it, 
Blew  and  blew  and  never  quit 
Till  the  star  was  blown  quite  out. 
Then  he  rose  and,  with  a  shout, 
Back  into  his  den  again 
He  went  lumbering;    the  plain 
Groaned;    the  mountain  felt  the  strain. 

In  his  cave  he  squatted,  grim, 
Humped  and  ugly,  with  his  club 
Flung  across  his  knees;   his  cub, 
Mountain  lion,  close  to  him, 
Glaring;   both  its  eyes  a  rim 
Of  green  smoulder.     And  that  night, 
Sure  enough,  the  giant  was  right: 
Since  the  star  no  longer  shone, 
People  lost  their  way  alone, 
And  he  captured  many  a  one. 


And  they  squatted  in  their  den, 
He  and  his  big  lion  cub, 
By  his  side  his  bloody  club; 
Squatted,  snarling,  crunching  men  — 
6 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

That  night  must  have  brought  them  ten. 

And  when  all  were  eaten  he, 

The  old  giant,  groaningly 

Raised  himself  and  went,  I  think, 

To  a  stream  to  get  a  drink, 

Foaming  at  the  mountain's  brink. 

He  had  clean  forgotten  now 
All  about  that  star,  you  know, 
That  had  lit  the  world  below : 
Now  it  was  so  dark,  I  vow, 
He  got  lost  too;   don't  know  how; 
Cursed  himself  and  said,  "  Odsblood ! 
I  've  got  lost  in  this  curst  wood ! 
Wish  I  had  a  torch.    No  doubt 
That  old  star  threw  light  about.  — 
Sorry  now  I  blew  it  out ! " 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  when 
Crash  he  went,  huge  club  and  all, 
Headlong  o'er  the  mountain  wall, 
Where  he  'd  thrown  the  bones  of  men, 
Often,  he  had  eaten.  —  Then 
How  he  bellowed!    and  the  rocks 
Echoed  with  loud  breakbone  knocks 
As  adown  the  mountain-side 
Sheer  he  plunged;    limbs  sprawling  wide, 
Fell  and  broke  his  neck  and  died. 
7 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

And  the  next  day,  father  said, 
Came  a  hunter  with  a  bow, 
Found  that  lion-cub,  you  know, 
Crouching  near  that  giant's  head; 
With  his  bow  he  shot  it  dead.  — 
And  that  night,  as  broad  as  day, 
Pilgrims  journeying  their  way, 
Saw  a  light  grow,  bar  on  bar, 
Lighting  them  the  road  afar. 
God  had  lit  another  star. 


TOYLAND 


THERE  's  a  story  no  one  knows, 
But  myself,  about  a  rose 
And  a  fairy  and  a  star 
Where  the  Toyland  people  are. 
Once  when  I  had  gone  to  bed, — 
Mother  said  it  was  a  dream,  — 
From  a  rose  above  my  head, 
Growing  by  the  window-beam, 
Out  there  popped  a  fairy's  head. 

II 

And  he  nodded  at  me:    smiled: 
Said,  "You're  fond  of  stories,  eh?  — 
Well,  I  know  a  star  each  child 
Ought  to  know.     It's  far  away 
For  your  kind,  but  not  for  me. 
I  will  take  you  to  that  star, 
Where  you'll  hear  new  stories;    see? 
Close  your  eyes.     It  isn't  far  — 
That  is,  't  is  n't  far  for  me." 
9 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 
III 

And  he  'd  hardly  spoken  when 
From  the  rose  there  came  a  moth ; 
And  before  you  'd  counted  ten 
We  were  on  it,  and  were  both 
Flying  to  that  star  that  made 
Silver  sparkles  in  the  air. 
And,  though  I  was  not  afraid, 
I  was  glad  when  we  were  there, 
And  the  moth  was  stabled  white 
In  a  lily-bud,  and  we 
Went  to  find  the  fay  or  sprite 
Who,  he  said,  would  welcome  me. 

IV 

And  we  found  her.     'T  was  n't  long 
Till  we  heard  a  twittering  song, 
And  a  toy-bird  with  white  eyes 
Flew  before  us  from  the  skies, — 
Like  those  in  my  Noah's  Ark,  — 
And  we  followed  it;   and  came 
To  the  strangest  land:    our  park 
Is  just  like  it,  just  the  same. 
Toy-trees,  squirrels,  birds  and  brooks, 
And  a  castle  on  the  hill, 
Just  like  those  in  story-books; 
And  upon  its  windowsill 
10 


TO YLA  N  D 

Leaned  a  lovely  Princess.     She 
Smiled  at  me,  and  that  was  all, 
As  a  doll  smiles;   and  to  me 
She  was  like  a  great  big  doll. 


Then,  before  I  knew  it,  I 
Was  inside  her  palace,  there 
In  the  room;    and  everywhere 
Dolls  and  story-books  and,  my! 
All  the  dolls  began  to  sing 
Rhymes,  or  read;    and  others  told 
Stories  just  like  everything: 
Better  stories  than  the  old 
Ones  my  father  reads  me  in 
Mother  Goose  and  books  like  Grimm, 
That  he  hates  so  to  begin: 
Tales  for  which  I  bother  him, 
Since,  he  says,  both  tales  and  rhymes 
He  has  read  a  thousand  times. 

VI 

Blue  Beard  and  the  Yellow  Dwarf, 
And  the  lovely  Rapunzel, — 
She  whose  hair  was  once  a  scarf 
For  a  prince  to  climb  by;    Nell, 
ii 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Little  Nell,  —  or  else  her  twin,  — 
Who,  somehow,  had  happened  in, — 
And  the  Sleeping  Beauty,  who 
Seemed  asleep  and  sat  there  dumb; 
Hansel  and  sweet  Grethel  too, 
Snow-Drop  and  Hop-o'-my-Thumb ; 
Rumpelstiltzkin,  Riding  Hood, 
And  the  Babes-lost-in-the-Wood, 
Met  around  a  little  table, 
Where  I  sat  beside  a  Queen, 
Queen  of  Hearts,  and,  dressed  in  green, 
Robin  Hood,  a-eating  tarts, 
While  old  JEsop  told  a  fable, 
Sitting  by  the  King  of  Hearts. 


VII 

And  the  waiters  were  Bo  Peep, 

Knave  of  Hearts  and  Marjory  Daw; 

Boy  Blue,  slow  as  if  asleep, 

And  the  Woman  who  slept  on  Straw. 

And  the  little  dishes  all, 

Though  they  seemed  so,  were  not  small; 

Painted  blue  and  green  and  gold 

With  the  stories  I  'd  heard  told, 

Pictures  forming  of  themselves, 

Of  the  Elf  Queen  and  the  Elves. 

12 


T  O  Y  L  A  N  D 

Never,  never  have  I  seen 

Service  like  it.    Then  the  talk! 

All  about  the  Fairy  Queen 

And  the  Land  of  Tarts  and  Pies, 

Where  those  three  fat  brothers  go, 

Greedygut,  with  tiny  eyes 

Like  a  pig's;    and  Sleepyhead, 

With  his  candle,  going  to  bed; 

And  old  creepy-footed  Slow. 

Of  these  three  they  made  great  talk, 

And  that  Land  where  Scarecrows  stalk, 

And  the  Jack-o'-Lanterns  grow, 

Row  on  glaring  goblin  row. 


VIII 

Suddenly,  among  them  there, 
At  my  back,  above  my  chair, 
Cried  a  Cuckoo  Clock,  and  —  why! 
There  I  was  back  home;    and  I 
Wasn't  nowhere  but  in  bed 
And  my  mother  standing  by 
Smiling  at  me.  —  I  could  cry 
When  I  think  the  things  they  said 
That  I  can't  remember  now 
Though  I  try  and  try  and  try. 
13 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

But  I  know  Ms  anyhow:  — 
I  <was  in  that  star,  I  know, 
And  in  Toyland.     Doesn't  seem 
Anything  but  true,  although 
Mother  says  it  was  a  dream. 


THE   LAND    OF    CANDY 

I 

HERE  was  once  a  little  boy  — 
So  my  father  told  me  —  who 
Never  cared  for  any  toy, 
But  just  sweet  things,  as  boys  do, 
Cakes  and  comfits,  cream  and  ice, 
All  the  things  that  boys  think  nice, 
That  they  like,  but  ought  not  to; 
Doctors  say  so,  more  or  less, 
And  their  parents,  too,  I  guess: 
But   they  don't  know  everything.  — 
Boys  know  something,  too,  by  jing. 

II 

Well,  this  little  boy  he  cried 
Day  and  night  for  sweet  things;    ate 
Cake  and  candy  soon  and  late  — 
That  is,  if  they  did  n't  hide 
All  such  things  in  some  good  place 
Where  he  couldn't  find  them.     So, 
One  day,  when  they  didn't  know, 
In  the  park  he  met  a  man, — 

15 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Funniest  man  you  ever  saw,  — 
In  a  suit  of  red  and  tan, 
Thin,  and  straighter  than  a  straw, 
Like  a  stick  of  candy;    and 
This  old  man  just  took  his  hand, 
Led  him  off  to  Candyland. 

Ill 

First  place  that  they  came  to,  why, 

Was  a  wood  that  reached  the  sky; 

Forest  of  Stick  Candy.     My! 

How  the  little  boy  made  it  fly! 

Why,  the  tree  trunks  were  as  great, 

Big  around  as,  at  our  gate, 

Are  the  sycamores;    the  whole 

Striped  like  a  barber's  pole: 

And  the  ground  was  strewn  and  strown 

With  the  pieces  winds  had  blown 

From  the  branches:    and  as  fast 

As  one  fell  another  grew 

In  its  place;    and,  through  and  through, 

Each  was  better  than  the  last. 

IV 

After  this  they  came  into 
A  great  grove   of  Sugar-Plums, 
And  an  orchard,  such  as  few 
Ever  saw,  of  Creams  and  Gums, 
16 


THE     LAND     OF     CANDY 

Marshmallow  and  Chocolate, 

Where  the  boy  just  ate  and  ate 

Till  he  was  brimful  and  felt 

As,  I  guess,  a  turkey  feels 

On  Thanksgiving;    to  its  belt 

Stuffed  with  chestnuts.     And  the  seals 

At  the  circus,  that  I  saw, 

Looked  just  like  that  boy,  I  know, 

When  he'd  eaten  bushels  —  pshaw! 

Loads   of  all  that  candy.     Oh! 

He  just  lay  down  there  and  sighed 

When  he  couldn't  eat  no  more, 

Though  he'd  eaten  more  than  four 

Boys  could  eat,  yes,  twenty-four, 

And  he  just  lay  there  and  cried, 

Cried  to  eat  more.     And  the  man, 

The  Stick-Candy  Man,  he  said 

Never  a  word;    just  smiled  instead 

Sweet  as  any  candy  can. 

v 

When  they'd  rested  there  awhile, 
That  old  man  with  his  sweet  smile 
Took  him  by  the  hand  and  said, 
"Don't  you  think  it's  time  for  bed?" 
But  the  boy  he  shook  his  head: 
"I  want  cakes  and  ice-cream  now; 
17 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Then   I  '11  go  and  not  before."  — 
Wish  that  I  could  show  you  how 
Sweet  that  old  man  smiled  then !  Sweet?  — 
It  was  just  like  honeyed  heat 
Trickling  down  from  head  to  feet, 
Or  just  like  a  candy  store 
Flung  right  at  you.     But  the  boy, 
At  that  smile,  felt  no  great  joy, 
But  as  if  he  'd  eaten  more 
Than  he  ought  to.     "I  feel  ill," 
Said  he.     "  If  I  had  a  drink 
I'd  feel  better.  — Say,  I  think 
I  smell  water.     What's  that  hill? 
Is  it  snow?  "  —  The  old  man  smiled, 
Smiled  that  smile  again,  and,  quick,  — 
For  it  made  him  feel  so  sick,  — 
From  him  turned  the  boy ;  and,  —  "  Child," 
Like  some  melting  sugar-stick, 
Drooled  the  old  man,  "  I  '11  be  bent, 
Or  be  eaten,  it 's  not  snow : 
But  to  me  it's  evident, 
If  you  really  want  to  know, 
That  hill's  ice-cream.     Feel  the  chill 
On  my  neck  now.  ...  If  you  will 
We  will  go  there."  —  And  they  went : 
Found  a  stranger  country  still, 
Filled  with  greater  wonderment. 
18 


THE     LAND     OF     CANDY 
VI 

The  very  ground  was  sugar  there; 

And  all  around  them,  everywhere, 

Great    cakes    grew    up    like    mushrooms; 

some 

No  bigger  than  a  baby's  thumb, 
And  others  huge  as  hats  they  wear 
In  picture  books  of  pirate  kings: 
And  some  were  jelly-cakes;    great  rings 
Of  reddest  jelly;    macaroons 
And  sponge-cakes  like  enormous  moons: 
And  every  kind  of  cake  there  is 
Just  overrun  the  premises. 
And  in  the  middle  of  the  land 
A  mountain,  they  had  seen  afar, 
Of  Ice-Cream  towered  white  and  grand; 
Such  mountains  as  there  only  are 
In  Candyland.     And  from  it  fell 
Two  fountains:    one  of  Lemonade, 
The  other  Sodawater.  —  Well, 
The  little  boy  just  took  a  spade 
And  dag   into  that  mountainside 
And  ate  and  ate,  and  cried  and  cried, 
Because  he  couldn't  eat  it  all, 
Nor  all  the  cakes  that  grew  around, 
Like  mushrooms,  from  the  sugary  ground ; 
19 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Nor  drink  up  every  waterfall 
Of  Soda  and  of  Lemonade. — 
(I  wish  that  I  'd  been  there  to  aid ! 
Don  't  you?    I  know  I  'd  done  my  best.  • 
And  father  said  he  knew,  or  guessed, 
That  that  old  man  felt  sorry,  too, 
Because  the  boy  just  had  to  rest. 
And  7  felt  sorry.     Wouldn't  you?) 


VII 

And  that  big  hill  would  never  melt: 
Just  stayed  the  same.     No  sooner  than 
One  took  a  spoonful  it  began 
To  grow  back  in  its  place.     One  dealt 
It  out  in  shovelfuls  and  still 
There  was  no  less  in  that  huge  hill. 
And  fast  —  yes,  faster  than  one  knew, 
The  mushroom-cakes  around  you  grew; 
Wherever  one  was  taken,  why, 
Up  came  another,  better  by 
A  long  ways:    and  it  were  no  use 
To  try  to  drink  the  fountains  dry: 
They  ran  the  more;    a  perfect  sluice, 
My  father  said,  that  played  the  deuce 
With  any  little  boy  that 'd  try. 
20 


THE     LAND     OF     CANDY 
VIII 

So  in  that  land  a  long,  long  time, 
At  least  a  month,  he  stayed.     Each  day 
Was  like  the  other.  —  (Sometime  I  'm 
A-going  to  Candyland  and  stay 
A  year,  or  longer;    yes,  you  bet! 
No  matter  what  my  parents  say.)  — 
What  happened  next?  —  why,  I  forget. 
But  one  day  in  the  Orchard  where 
Cream  Candies  grew  —  or  was  it  in 
The  Woods  of  Candystick?    or  there 
Where  brown  the  Sugarlands  begin 
Of  Mushroom-cakes?  —  the  old  man  found 
The  boy  flat,  lying  on  the  ground, 
The  sugar-earth  kicked  up  around, 
And  cakes  and  cream  knocked  all  about 
And  broken  into  bits,  and  he 
Just  crying  fit  to  kill;    all  out, 
And  sick  of  everything,  you  see. 
And  when  the  old  man  smiled  and  smiled 
That  smile  again,  the  boy  went  wild, 
And  shook  his  fist  right  in  his  face 
And  shrieked  out  at  him,  "You  Disgrace! 
Get  out !    You  make  me  sick !  "  —  A  stone 
(You  see  rock-candy  strewed  the  place 
Just  like  the  stones  that  strew  our  own) 

21 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE      STAR 

He  picked  and  aimed  and  would  have  thrown 
And    knocked    the    old    man's    head    right 

off, 

Had  he  not  stopped  him,  with  a  cough, 
Saying,  "  My  boy !  why,  this  won't  do ! 
What  ails  you,  eh?"  —  The  boy  said, 

"  You!  — 

Don't  smile  at  me !  —  I  '11  break  your  head ! 
You  sugar-coated  pill!    with  this!  — 
I  'm  sick  of  sweets  and  you"  he  said, 
"Your  face  so  like  a  candy-kiss?  — 
What  ails  me  ?  —  Eggs !  and  bacon !  bread ! 
And  milk  and  toast  and  chicken-wings, 
One  never  has  here!    things  they  fed 
Me  on  at  home !    those  are  the  things !  — 
Take  me  back  home  where  I  can  eat 
The  things  I  never  wanted  once  — 
But  now  I  want  them !  bread  and  meat !  — 
Oh,  was  n't  I  an  awful  dunce !  — 
Now,  you  old  sinner,  take  me  back ! "  — 
And  with  those  words  the  old  man's  face 
Fell  in  a  frown  that  seemed  to  crack 
It  all  to  pieces.     All  grew  black 
About  the  little  boy  a  space; 
But  when  it  lightened  up  once  more 
Why,    there!    he  wasn't  any  place 
But  right  in  front  of  their  big  door  — 

22 


THE     LAND     OF     CANDY 

His  home.  —  I  say !  my !  he  was  glad ; 
And  hurried  in,  a  different  lad 
From  him  who  had  gone  out.  —  And  he, 
From  that  time  on,  took  toast  and  tea, 
And  milk  and  eggs,  and  never  teased, 
As  once  he  used  to  tease,  for  cakes 
And  candy  and  such  things !  —  My  sakes ! 
But  weren't  both  his  parents  pleased! 


SUN    AND   FLOWERS 

spring  is  coming!   hear  it  blow! 
The  rain  and  wind  have  cleared  the  snow ; 
And  I  am  going  to  play  my  fill 
With  sunlight  on  the  windy  hill. 

And  I  am  going  to  laugh  and  run, 
And  be  the  comrade  of  the  sun; 
And,  like  the  wildflowers,  wink  my  eyes 
At  him  and  at  the  springtime  skies. 

And  I  am  going  to  leap  and  shout 
And  toss  my  hair  and  arms  about, 
And  fill  my  soul  with  sunshine  as 
The  blossoms  do  and  waving  grass. 

And  I  am  going  to  dance  and  sing 
And  match  the  swallow  on  the  wing, 
And  put  my  arms  about  each  tree, 
And  kiss  it  as  the  sun  does  me. 

And  I  am  going  to  lie  face  down 
Upon  the  hillside,  far  from  town, 
And  hug  it  as  the  sunlight  does, 
And  watch  the  pussy-willows  fuzz. 
24 


SUN    AND     FLOWERS 

I  wish  I  was  as  big  and  bright 
As  is  the  sunlight:    then  I  might 
Hold  all  the  hillside  in  my  joy  — 
But  I  am  just  a  little  boy. 

And  I  am  only  sweet  and  small 
As  are  the  wildflowers,  that  is  all, 
So  mother  says;    and  thus  you  see 
The  sun  can  get  ahead  of  me. 

Blow  wind  and  rain!  and  sweep  away 
The  snow  and  sleet  of  yesterday! 
And  bring  the  sunlight  and  the  flowers 
And  all  the  laughing  springtime  hours. 


FAIRIES 

a  little  fairy  who 
Peeps  from  every  drop  of  dew 
You  can  see  him  wink  and  shine 
On  the  morning-glory  vine, 
Mischief  in  his  eye  of  blue. 

There's  another  fairy  that 
Rides  upon  the  smallest  gnat: 
You  can  hear  him  tremolo 
When  the  summer  dusk  falls  slow, 
Circling  just  above  your  hat. 

And  another  one  that  sways 
In  the  golden  slanted  rays 
Of  the  sunlight  where  it  floats: 
Prosy  people  call  them  motes, 
But  they're  fairies,  father  says. 

But  there 's  one  that  no  one  sees,  — 
Only,  maybe,  moths  and  bees ;  — 
Who  in  lofts,  where  knot-holes  are, 
On  the  thin  light  of  a  star 
Slides  through  crannied  crevices. 
26 


FAIRIES 

You  may  hear  him  sigh  and  sing 
Near  a  May-fly's  captured  wing 
In  a  spider-web  close  by: 
See  him  with  a  moonbeam  pry 
Moonflowers  open  where  they  swing. 

Down  the  garden-ways  he  goes 
On  a  beetle's  back,  and  blows 
Sullen  music  from  a  horn: 
Or  you'll  hear  him  when  'tis  morn 
Buzzing  bee-like  by  a  rose. 

And  it 's  he  who,  when  't  is  night, 
Twinkles  with  a  firefly  light; 
Shakes  a  katydid  tambourine; 
Or  amid  the  mossy  green 
Rasps  his  cricket-fiddle  tight. 

He  it  is  who  heaves  the  dome 
Of  the  mushroom  through  the  loam, 
Plumper  than  a  baby's  thumb: 
Or  who  taps  a  tinder  drum 
In  the  dead  wood's  honeycomb. 

He's  that  Robin  Goodfellow, 
Or  that  Puck  who,  long  ago, 
Used  to  marshlight-lead  astray 
People  in  old  Shakespeare's  day  — 
That  is,  father  told  me  so. 
27 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

He's  the  one  that,  in  the  Fall, 
Frisks  the  dead  leaves  round  us  all; 
Herds  them;    drives  them  wildly  past, 
Dancing  with  them  just  as  fast 
As  a  boy  can  throw  a  ball. 

Wonder  what  he  looks  like.  —  Asked 
Father  once.     He  said  he'd  tasked 
Mind  and  soul  to  find  out,  but 
It  was  harder  than  a  nut; 
Just  refused  to  be  unmasked. 

Though  he  thought,  perhaps,  he  might 
Find  out  some  time,  and  delight 
Telling  me;   but  well  he  knew 
He  was  like  my  questions,  too, 
Teasing  and  confusing  quite. 


28 


THE   LUBBER   FIEND 

IN  the  woods,  not  long  ago, 
Met  with  Robin  Goodfello'w ; 
First  we  heard  his  horse-like  laugh 
In  an  ivy-bush  near  by; 
Then  we  saw  him,  like  a  calf, 
Or  a  frisky  colt,  just  fly  — 
Kicking  high  his  frantic  heels, 
Squealing  as  a  scared  pig  squeals. 

Snorting,  baaing,  neighing  too, 
Through  the  woods  he  fairly  flew; 
Father  followed  him,  but  he 
Couldn't  catch  him  —  long  of  limb 
As  a  grasshopper,  you  see, 
There's  no  man  could  capture  htm: 
Then,  besides,  his  color's  green, 
So  he  's  rarely  ever  seen. 

Often  when  you're  in  the  woods, 
Just  a-walking  with  your  moods, 
And  not  thinking;    listening  how 
Still  it  is,  right  near  your  head 
29 


THE     GIANT    AND     THE     STAR 

Breaks  the  bellow  of  a  cow  — 
And  you  drop  —  scared  nearly  dead : 
That 's  old  Robin  you  can't  see 
'Cause  he's  colored  like  a  tree. 

And  I  've  heard  he  calls  and  calls 
In  the  woods  for  help,  or  falls, 
Like  an  urchin,  from  a  tree: 
You  jump  up  and  shout  and  run  — 
But  there's  nothing  there  to  see; 
Just  a  snickering  as  of  fun 
In  the  thicket,  or  somewhere, 
And  you're  madder  than  a  hare. 

Sometimes  in  dark  woods  a  light 
Flashes  in  your  eyes,  as  bright 
As  a  firefly  after  rain; 
And  your  eyes  are  dazzled  so 
That  you  shut  them  —  look  again  — 
Nothing's  there.      That's   Goodfellow, 
With  his  jack-o'-lantern;    see? 
Hiding  in  some  hollow  tree. 

These  are  pranks  he  plays  on  men 
When  he  feels  all  right;   but  when 
He  is  out  of  humor,  well! 
Better  keep  away!    he'll  harm: 

3° 


THE     LUBBER     FIEND 

Leads  you  with  a  heifer's  bell, 
Or  horn-lantern,  to  some  farm, 
You  suppose;    but  't  isn't!    no! 
Some  old  bog  in  which  you  go. 

Sometimes  he's  called  Puck,  they  say: 
And  it  was  the  other  day 
Father  read  me  from  a  book 
That  some  people  call  him   Lob  — 
One  who  haunts  the  ingle-nook, 
Or  sits  humped  upon  the  hob 
Whistling  up  the  chimney-flue 
Till  the  kettle  whistles  too. 

He's  the  Lubber  Fiend,  that  sweeps 
Ashes  in  your  face  and  creeps 
Under  cracks  when  north  winds  howl; 
Hides  behind  the  closet  door 
And  peeps  at  you,  like  an  owl, 
Bumps  you  shrieking  on  the  floor; 
And  at  night  he  rides  a  mare 
Round  your  bed  and  everywhere. 

And  he  teases  dogs  that  doze 
By  the  fire;    and,  I  suppose, 
They  must  see  him  in  their  dreams 
When  they  snarl  and  glare  o'erhead: 


THE     GIANT    AND    THE     STAR 

And  it's  he,  or  so  it  seems, 
Tumbles  children  out  of  bed, 
Wakes  the  house  and  makes  a  fuss; 
For  he's  awful  mischievous. 

That's  what  I  heard  father  say, 
And  I  know  it's  true.     Some  day 
I'm  a-going  to  be  a  boy 
Just  like  Robin;    romp  and  shout, 
And  kick  up  my  heels  for  joy, 
And  scare  people  round  about; 
Just  play  tricks  on  every  one.  — 
Don't  you  think  it  would  be  fun? 

Take  an  old  cow-horn,  that's  harsh 
As  a  frog  that  haunts  the  marsh, 
And  when  folks  are  in  their  beds 
Blow  it  at  the  windowsill 
Till  they  cover  up  their  heads; 
And  when  all  again  is  still, 
Hear  them  wonder  what  it  was 
That  was  making  all  that  fuss. 

Or  I'll  make  a  pumpkin  face; 
Light,  and  hide  it  in  some  place 
Where  are  bushes;    and  when  men 
Come  along  I'll  grunt  and  groan 

32 


THE     LUBBER     FIEND 

Like  an  old  pig  in  its  pen; 
When  they  run  I'll  throw  a  stone, 
Or  just  vanish;    and  they'll  say— • 
"  What  tvos  that,  I  wonder?  eh?  " 

It  would  be  a  lot  of  fun, — 
Wouldn't  it?    to  make  folks  run;  — 
Jumping  at  them  from  the  dark 
Like  a  big  black  dog,  oh  my! 
It  would  be  the  greatest  lark!  — 
Wonder  why  it  is  that  I 
Can't  grow  up  at  once  —  like  you  — 
And  do  things  I  'd  like  to  do? 


33 


TOADSTOOLS 


ONCE  when  it  had  rained  all  night 
And  all  day,  the  next  day,  why, 
In  our  yard,  a  lot  of  white, 
Dumpy  toadstools  grew  close  by 
Our  old  peach  tree:    some  were  high, 
Peak'd,  like  half-shut  parasols; 
Others  round  and  low,  like  balls, 
Little  hollow  balls;    and  I 
Called  my  father  to  the  tree: 
And  he  said,  "  I  tell  you  what : 
Fairies  have  been  here,  you  see. 
This  is  just  the  kind  of  spot 
Fairies  lowe  to  live  in.     Those 
Are  their  houses,  I  suppose. 

II 

"Yes,  those  surely  are  their  huts! 
Built  of  moon  and  mist  and  rain, 
Such  dim  stuff  as  Elfland  puts 
In  her  buildings.  —  Come  again, 
34 


TOADSTOOLS 

And,  like  castles  built  in  Spain, 
They  are  nowhere.  —  But  to-night, 
Sliding  down  the  moon's  slim  light, 
Or  snail-straddled,  in  a  train 
You  may  see  the  elves,  perhaps, 
Clad  in  gossamer  garments,  come; 
Some  in  morning-glory  caps, 
And  in  tulip  bonnets  some. 
If  you  watch,  I  have  no  doubt, 
You  will  see  them  all  come  out. 

Ill 

"  Long  of  leg  as  grasshoppers, 

Or  as  katydids,  oh,  ho! 

Here  they'll  sit;    the  bachelors 

By  the  spinsters,  row  on  row, 

Kissing  when  the  moon  is  low: 

You  may  hear  their  kisses  sound 

Faint  as  raindrops  on  the  ground, 

Dropped  by  flow'rs  that  overflow, 

Flow'rs  whose  heads  the  rain  weighs  down. 

Or,  perhaps,  to  twinkling  tunes, 

Tiny  as  their  tiny  town, 

See  them  dance  wild  rigadoons 

Creaked  by  crickets;    singing,  too, 

Serenades  as  thin  as  dew. 


35 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 
IV 

"  Or  hobgoblins  here  may  rise, 
Snail-faced,  spider-legged,  you  see; 
Eyed  with  glowworm-glowing  eyes, 
Lidless  slits  of  flame.  .  .  .  Maybe, 
Gnarled  of  back  and  knobbed  of  knee, 
Tadpole-paunched,  you'll  see  the  gnomes 
Waddle  from  their  toadstool  homes; 
While  the  frogs  industriously 
Twang  their  big  bass-violins, 
And  the  screech-owl's  bagpipes  shriek: 
While  their  eyes,  like  points  of  pins, 
Glitter,  great-nosed  beak  to  beak, 
Here  you'll  see  them  squat  and  blink 
Till  it'd  freeze  your  blood,  I  think."  .  .  . 


Won't  hzve  any  goblins  here! 
With  their  eyes  like  upright  slits, 
Parrot-nosed  and  flopped  of  ear, 
And  a  grin  that  cracks  and  splits 
Wide  their  faces,  never  quits, 
Faces  all  one  wart  or  wen!  — 
So  I  got  a  stick  and  then 
Knocked  those  toadstools  into  bits. 
36 


TOADSTOOLS 

And  my  father  said,  "Well!  well! 

Now  you've  spoiled  your  only  chance 

It  will  never  do  to  tell!  — 

To  behold  the  fairies  dance, 

And  those  grinning  goblins,  too.  — 

Wonder  what  got  into  you ! " 


37 


THE   BOY   NEXT   DOOR 


THERE'S  a  boy  who  lives  next  door; 
And  this  boy  is  just  as  bad 
As  a  boy  can  be;    and   poor!  — 
He's  so  poor  it  makes  me  sad 
When  I  see  him.     Out  at  knee; 
And  no  shoes;    and,  more  than  that, 
Hardly  any  shirt  or  hat. — 
He  's  as  poor  as  Poverty. 

II 

But  I  like  him;   yes,  I  do. 
He  can  play  'most  any  game, 
And  tell  fairy  stories,  too; 
Funny  stories,  just  the  same 
As  my  father  does.     And  he 
Told  me  one  about  a  frog, 
Living  near  a  lake  or  bog, 
Frog  that  married  a  bumblebee. 
38 


THE     BOY     NEXT     DOOR 
III 

And  another  of  Jumping  Joan 
And  Hink  Minx,  the  old  witch  that 
Sits  before  the  fire  alone 
Frying  fat  for  her  black  cat. 
And  of  Craney  Crow;    her  dog 
And  her  chicken.  —  But  the  best, 
One  I  like  more  than  the  rest, 
'S  that  one  of  the  bee  and  frog. 

IV 

Well,  the  bumblebee  would  sing 
All  day  long;    and  all  the  night 
Sang  the  old  frog;    till  the  thing, 
So  folks  said,  was  done  in  spite, 
Just  to  keep  the  flowers  awake: 
One  a  rose,  a  brier-rose; 
And  the  other,  one  of  those 
Lilies  that  grow  in  a  lake. 


All  day  long  the  bee  would  prod 
At  the  rose  and  buzz  and  keep 
Shaking  it;    it  couldn't  nod, 
Much  less  ever  go  to  sleep: 

39 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Humming  to  it,  "  Don't  you  hear? 
I  'm  so  happy !     Can't  you  be 
Just  a  little  neighborly?  — 
Ain't  my  froggie  just  a  dear?" 

VI 

And  the  frog  all  night  would  sing 
To  the  water-lily;    while 
On  the  pad  he  'd  sit  or  cling, 
On  his  face  an  ear-wide  smile, 
Croaking,  "  Listen !    have  you  heard 
All  about  my  bouncing  bee?  — 
Don't  you  wish  that  you  were  she?  — 
I  'm  as  happy  as  a  bird ! " 

VII 

Then  the  water-lily  'd  yawn, 
And  the  rose  would  bat  its  eyes: 
One  would  say,  "  It 's  nearly  dawn. 
Better  sleep.     So  I  advise." 
And  the  other,  "  Jumping  Jim ! 
That  old  frog's  a  wonder!    made 
Just  for  you.  —  Can't  I  persuade 
You  to  sing  your  songs  to  him? " 

VIII 

Finally  it  got  so  bad 

That  the  rose  and  lily  agreed 

40 


THE     BOY     NEXT     DOOR 

They  would  fix  them.     Both  were  mad 
And  just  dying  to  be  freed 
From  this  tuneful  tyranny. 
So  the  rose  just  took  a  thorn, 
When  the  bee  dropped  in  one  morn, 
Stabbed  her;    killed  her  dead,  you  see. 

IX 

That  night  by  the  yellow  moon, 
Sitting  on  the  lily-pad, 
Tuning  up  his  old  bassoon, 
Didn't  that  old  frog  feel  sad 
When  the  lily  told  him!     Cried 
Fit  to  break  one's  heart;    and,  plunk! 
In  he  plunged  right  there  and  sunk: 
Drowned,  committed  suicide. 


CERTAIN   TRUTHS   ABOUT    CERTAIN 
THINGS 


A  ND  the  boy  that  lives  next  door 
•"•     Said  to  me  one  day,  There's  more 
In  those  rhymes  of  Mother  Goose 
And  those  tales,  I  don't  care  whose, — 
Arabian  Nights  or  Grimm's,  or,  well, 
Any  one's,  —  than,  I've  no  doubt, 
You  or  I  can  ever  tell, 
Or  can  ever  know  about. 

II 

Why,  there  is  a  land,  you  know, 
Where  the  world  is  so-and-so: 
Where  old  Hick-a-Hack-a-more 
Kicks  the  king  right  out  his  door 
And  sits  on  his  throne  and  kills 
Blackbirds  as  they  fly  from  pies, 
Pots  them  on  the  windowsills  — 
I  ain't  telling  you  no  lies. 
42 


TRUTHS     ABOUT     CERTAIN    THINGS 
HI 

For  I  met  an  old  man  once  — 
And   he  was  n't  any  dunce  — 
Who  just  told  me  he  had  been 
To  that  land  and  he  had  seen 
All  those  people:    even  met 
Handy  Spandy  in  a  shop; 
And  old  Doctor  Foster,  wet, 
Mad  enough  to  make  you  hop. 

IV 

And  he  said  that  Miller,  he 
Who  once  lived  on  River  Dee, 
Told  him  that  he  was  a  wreck, 
Mind  and  body,  knee  and  neck, 
Haunted  by  the  memory  of 
That  old  flea  whose  bones  he  crackt 
On  the  millstones.  —  It  was  tough ! 
And  it  killed  him;    it's  a  fact. 


And  he'd  met  that  fellow,  too, 
Of  St.  Ives  and  all  his  crew, 
Wives  and  sacks  and  cats;    and  he 
Said  it  was  a  sight  to  see: 
43 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Wives  a-scolding  and  the  cats 
Fighting  in  the  sacks;    the  kits 
Scratching  like  so  many  rats, 
Yowling,  too,  to  give  you  fits. 

VI 

And  he  said  that  Old  King  Cole 
Was  a  fraud  upon  the  whole: 
Never  had  a  fiddler 
That  could  fiddle  anywhere 
By  the  side  of  him;   and  joked 
While  he  drank  the  vilest  brew 
From  a  cracked  old  bowl;   and  smoked 
Worse  tobacco;    smiling,  too. 

VII 

And  he  said  he  knows  of  one 
Oldtime  town,  all  over-run 
With  old  beggars,  that  at  dark 
Loosen  dogs  that  bark  and  bark 
Till  the  people,  gone  to  bed, 
Throw  out  anything  they've  got 
Just  to  keep  the  peace.     He  said, 
"Oughtn't  they  to  all  be  shot?" 

VIII 

And  he  said  that  that  old  man 
Clothed  in  leather  was  a  ban 

44 


TRUTHS    ABOUT     CERTAIN    THINGS 

On  the  whole  community: 

He  was  simply  miserly, 

Filthy,  too:    economized 

Clothes  and  washing  that  way:    and 

This  man  simply  loathed,  despised 

Him,  his  grin,  and  leather-band. 


IX 

Cinderella,  too:    why,   she 
Was  a  slomp;    just  naturally 
Wouldn't  work;    and  had  big  feet  — 
Could  have  seen  them  'cross  the  street. 
Didn't  marry  a  Prince  at  all, 
But  the  ashman.     Never  at  Court 
Or  a  ball!  —  She  had  her  gall 
To  put  that  in  her  report! 


Blue  Beard  was  a  much  wronged  man. 
Think  it  was  a  well-laid  plan 
For  his  wife,  her  brothers  there, 
Just  to  kill  him  and  to  share 
All  his  gold  and  silver.     Then 
Great  Claus,  too,  was  much  abused. — 
Think  that  old  Hans  Andersen 
Might  have  known  it.     He  was  used. 
45 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 
XI 

Little  Two  Eyes  ate  her  goat; 
Was  a  glutton.     If  you'll  note 
All  she  did  was  eat  and  eat, 
Thought  of  only  bread  and  meat, 
While   her   sisters,   I  've   heard  since, 
Scrubbed  and  labored  day  and  night; 
But,  it 's  true,  she  married  a  Prince  — 
Fell  in  love  with  her  appetite. 

XII 

Jack  the  Giant- Killer ;    well! 
He  's  the  worst,  the  sorriest  sell. 
This  man  met  him,  and  he  said 
He  was  just  a  bully;    bled 
Folks   by  blackmail.     Every  one 
Was  afraid  of  him.     But  he, 
This  old  man,  once  saw  him  run 
From  a  boy  not  big  as  me. 

XIII 

Rudest  girls  he  ever  saw 
Were   Bo   Peep  and   Marjory   Daw; 
Always  careless   in  their  dress, 
Given  over  to  idleness. 
46 


TRUTHS    ABOUT     CERTAIN     THINGS 

Bobby  Shafto  and  Boy  Blue, 
Worst  boys  in  the  world:    the  one, 
Fishing  when  he  ought  not  to; 
The  other  sleeping  in  the  sun. 

XIV 

Lots  of  other  things  he   said 
That,  somehow,  got  out  my  head: 
Something  'bout  that  girl  contrary  — 
Never  had  a  garden!  —  Mary; 
And   Miss  Muffet  —  that  big  spider 
Never  did  sit  down  beside  her; 
And  that  Curly  Locks  —  the  deuce!  — 
Never  had  a  curl.  ...  A  few 
Things  he  told  of  Mother  Goose, 
And  I  know  they  all  are  true. 


47 


BAD    LUCK 

ONCE  a  rabbit  crossed  my  road 
When  I  went  to  see  my  aunt; 
And  another  time   a  toad 
Hopped  right  in  my  way.  —  You  can't 
Kill  toads,  for  that  makes  it  rain, 
And  would  spoil  your  day  again. 

But  the  rabbit  — if  I  could 
I'd  have  killed  him.     For  one  day 
Once  a  boy  he  told  me,  "  Should 
A  wild  rabbit  cross  your  way, 
Look  out  for  bad  luck  —  that  is, 
If  your  fingers  ain't  cross-criss." 

But  if  I  had  shot  him  dead 
I  'd  not  been  unlucky ;    no ; 
And  not  fallen  out  of  bed 
That  same  night;    or  stumped  my  toe 
Playing  "  I  Spy  " ;    nor  the  string 
Broken  when  I  went  to  swing. 
48 


BAD     LUCK 

Talk  about  bad  luck!     I  guess 
That   old  rabbit  brought  it.  — Well; 
Maudie  had  on  her  new  dress, 
And  I  pushed  her,  and  she  fell 
In  a  creek-hole,  where  you  're  bound 
To  get  wet  —  so  Maudie  found. 

I  —  I  pulled  her  out  —  that  is, 
Buddie  helped  me.  —  Bud's  a  boy 
Who  was  fishing  there.  —  And  Liz, 
Maud's  old  nurse,   she  took  my  toy, 
My  toy- whip,  and  —  she  was  mad  — 
Whipped  my  legs  and  called  me  bad. 

Then  she  said  Maud  might  have  drowned; 
And  the  creek  was  full  of  "dumb 
Polly wogs  and  snakes";    a  sound 
Whipping  just  might  help  me  some: 
Maybe  Maud  would  catch  a  cold  — 
And  —  my  mother  should  be  told. 

No,  sir.     I  don't  want  to  see 
Any  rabbits  anyways 
Cross  my  road.     Why,  gemenie!  — 
(That 's  a  swear-word   Maudie   says)  — 
If  I  saw  one  —  only  one, 
I  would  turn  and  run  and  run. 
4  49 


THE    LAMPLIGHT    CAMP 

WHENEVER  on  the  windowpane 
I   hear   the   fingers   of    the    rain, 
And  in  the  old  trees,  near  the  door, 
The  wind  that  whispers  more  and  more, 
Bright  in  the  light  made  by  the  lamp 
I  make  myself  a  hunter's  camp. 

The  shadows  of  the  desk  and  chairs 
Are  trees  and  woods;    the  corners,  lairs 
Where  wolves  and  wildcats  lie  in  wait 
For  any  one  who  walks  too  late; 
Upon  my  knees  with  my  toy-gun 
I  hunt  and  slaughter  many  a  one. 

And  now  I  rescue  Riding  Hood 
From  the  great  Wolf  within  the  wood; 
Now  little  Silver  Locks,  who  flies 
From  the  Three  Bears  with  angry  eyes; 
And  many  a  little  girl  who  dwells 
In  story  books,  as  mother  tells. 
50 


THE     LAMPLIGHT     CAMP 

So  up  and  down  and  all  around 

My  wildwood  camp  I  prowl  or  bound, 

From  corner  unto   corner  till 

I  reach  the   door  and  windowsill, 

Where  Jack-o'-Lantern  hides,  I  know, 

Outside  the  lamplight's  steady  glow. 

And  he,  the  goblin-fiend,  —  my  nurse 
Once  scared  me  with,  when  I  was  worse 
Than  naughty;   would  not  go  to  sleep, 
But  keep  awake;   and  cry  and  creep 
Out  of  my  bed,  —  the  goblin  black, 
The  foul  fiend,  Flibberty-Jibberty  Jack. 

And  when  I  think  perhaps  that  these 
May  catch  me,  on  my  father's  knees 
I  climb  and  listen  to  the  rain 
And  wind  outside  the  windowpane, 
And  feel  so  safe  with  him  that  I 
Go  right  to  sleep,  and  never  cry. 


THE    SCARECROW 

T\yrORE  than  cakes  or  anything 
*'J»     I  like  tales  of  shivering. — 
Once  a  scarecrow  on  a  hill 
Tossed  his  ragged  arms  at  me  — 
That  was  when  I  went  to  see 
Folks  that  live  at  Fisherville. 

And  my  father  said,  "  You  know, 
When  it  *s  dark  that  old  scarecrow 
Gets  down,  rags  and  sticks  and  all, 
And,  like  some  old  tramp,  he  goes, 
Straw-wisps  sticking  from  his  toes, 
Down  the  road,  right  past  this  wall. 

"Wobble-legged  and  loose  of  arm, 
Slow  he  shambles  by  the  farm: 
And  if  children  are  not  good, 
Snug  in  bed  at  eight  o'clock, 
On  the  window  he  will  knock 
With  long  knuckled  hands  of  wood. 
52 


THE     SCARECROW 

"  Then  his  empty  face  pressed  flat 
To  the  pane,  his  tattered  hat 
Flopping  in  the  wind,  he  '11  shake 
His  gaunt  finger  at  them;    and 
Threaten  them  with  head  and  hand, 
And  with  teeth,  too,  like  a  rake. 

"Then  into  the  night  he'll  pack, 
There  to  meet  with  bogie  Jack, 
Jack-o'-Lantern ;    and  the  two, 
Arm  in  arm,  will  wander  on, 
Scaring  folks  until  it's  dawn, 
As  all  goblin  people  do. 

"  You  may  see  them  through  the  pane 
Passing  in  the  night  and  rain: 
When  you  hear  the  watch-dogs  bark, 
Then  along  the  weedy  side 
Of  some  garden  dim  they  glide, 
Where  they  grab  you  in  the  dark." 

Sometime,  when  I  can,  for  fun 
I  am  going  to  take  my  gun; 
Creep  up  on  that  hill  and  blow 
That  old  scarecrow  into  bits  — 
Then  he  can't  scare  into  fits 
Any  children  more,  I  know. 
53 


BEETLE   AND    MOTH 


a  bug  at  night  that  goes 
Drowsily  down  the  garden  ways; 
Lumberingly  above  the  rose, 
And  above  the  jasmine  sprays; 
Bumping,  bungling,  buzzing  by, 
Falling  finally,  to  crawl 
Underneath  the  rose  and  lie 
Near  its  fairest  bud.     That's  all. 
And  I  ask  my  father  why 
This  old  bug  goes  by  that  way: 
This  is  what  he  has  to  say:  — 

"That's  old  Parson  Beetle,  sonny; 

He  's  in  love  with  some  rich  flower ; 
After  her  and  all  her  honey  — 

And  he'll  have  them  in  an  hour. 
He  is  awkward,  but,  I  say, 
With  the  flowers  he  has  a  way; 

And,  I  tell  you,  he's  a  power; 

Never  fails  to  get  his  flower: 
He  's  a  great  old  Beetle,  sonny." 
54 


BEETLE     AND     MOTH 
II 

Then  again,  when  it  is  wet, 

And  we  sit  around  the  lamp, 

On  the  screen,  near  which  it 's  set, 

Comes  a  fluttering,  dim  and  damp, 

Of  white,  woolly  wings;    and  I 

Go  to  see  what  's  there  and  find 

Something  like  a  butterfly, 

Beating  at  the  window-blind. 

And  I  ask  my  father  why 

This  strange  creature  does  that  way: 

This  is  what  he  has  to  say:  — 

"Lady  Moth  that;    she's  the  fashion: 
Falls  in  love  with  all  bright  things: 

She  has  a  consuming  passion 

For  this  light:   will  singe  her  wings. 

Once  it  was  a  star,  you  know,  — 

That  she  loved.  —  I  told  you  so  I 

Take  her  up.     What  lovely  rings 

On  her  scorched  and  dainty  wings!  — 

It 's  a  pity,  but  the  fashion." 


55 


OLD    MAN    RAIN 

Man  Rain  at  the  windowpane 
Knocks  and  fumbles  and  knocks  again: 
His  long-nailed  fingers  slip  and  strain: 
Old  Man  Rain  at  the  windowpane 
Knocks  all  night  but  knocks  in  vain. 
Old  Man  Rain. 

Old  Man  Rain  at  the  windowpane 
Reels  and  shambles  along  the  lane: 
His  old  gray  whiskers  drip  and  drain: 
Old  Man  Rain  with  fuddled  brain 
Reels  and  staggers  like  one  insane. 
Old  Man  Rain. 

Old  Man  Rain  is  back  again, 
With  old  Mis'  Wind  at  the  windowpane, 
Dancing  there  with  her  tattered  train: 
Her  old  shawl  flaps  as  she  whirls  again 
In  the  wildman  dance  and  is  torn  in  twain. 
Old  Mis'  Wind  and  Old  Man  Rain. 
56 


THE   LITTLE   BOY,   THE   WIND,   AND 
THE    RAIN 

I 

SOMETIMES,  when  I'm  gone  to-bed, 
And  it's  all  dark  in  the  room, 
Seems  I  hear  somebody  tread 
Heavy,  rustling  through  the  gloom: 
And  then  something  there  goes  "boom," 
Stumbling  on  the  floor  o'erhead; 
And  I  cover  eyes  and  ears: 
Never  dare  to  once  look  out, 
But  just  cry  till  mother  hears, 
Says  there 's  naught  to  cry  about :  — 
"  Old  Mis'  Wind  is  at  her  capers. 

Shut  your  eyes  and  go  to  sleep. 
She  has  got  among  those  papers, 

In  the  attic,  with  her  sweep. 

Shut  your  eyes  and  go  to  sleep." 

II 

Sometimes  when  the  lamplight's  flame 
Flickers,  fingers  tap  the  pane; 

57 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Knuckled  fingers,  just  the  same, 

Rapping  with  long  nails  again: 

Bony  hands  then  seem  to  strain, 

Pulling  at  the  window-frame: 

And  I  cry,  "Who's  there?"  — And  then 

Sit  bolt  up  in  bed  and  call 

Till  my  father  drops  his  pen, 

Saying  to  me  from  the  hall:  — 

"  Old  Man  Rain  is  at  his  nonsense. 

Close  your  eyes  and  go  to  sleep. 
Makes  a  lot  of  noise.     My  conscience! 

What  a  fuss  his  fingers  keep! 

Close  your  eyes  and  go  to  sleep." 


SOUNDS   AND   SIGHTS 

I 

OFTEN,  when  I  wake  at  night, 
I   can  hear  the   strangest   sounds, 
Stealthy  noises,  left  and  right, 
As  of  some  one  going  his  rounds: 
On  the  stairs  there  comes  a  crack 
As  if  some  one  mounted  there; 
Then  the  door  creaks;    and  the  back 
Settles  of  the  rocking-chair, 
As  if  some  one  had  sat  down.  — 
Then  I  get  up  in  my  gown; 
Run  to  mother;    hide  my  head; 
Snuggle  down  by  her  in  bed. 

And  she  says  to  me,  "  My  dear, 
There  is  nothing  here  to  fear: 
All  the  noises  that  you  hear 
Are  the  old  house  and  the  weather, 

Dry  old  weather, 
Having  a  little  talk  together. 
You  just  heard  the  old  house  stretching, 
Waking  up  to  have  a  chat: 
59 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Seems  to  me  that  it  is  catching. — 
Don't  wake  up  again  for  that." 

II 

And  again  I  wake  at  night, 
And  can  see  the  queerest  things:  — 
In  the  gas-jet's  lowered  light, 
The  tall  mantle  —  with  its  rings 
And  its  mirror  —  seems  a  face 
With  a  monster  eye  and  nose 
And  a  mouth,  —  the  fireplace, — 
Making  faces  at  me.    Those 
Chairs  against  the  wall  move  out, 
Limping,  as  if  lame  with  gout: 
And  I  'm  scared  as  scared  can  be, 
Call,  till  father  comes  to  me. 

And  he  says,  "There's  nothing  there; 
Nothing  that  could  hurt  or  scare. 
And  that  mantle  and  that  chair  — 
Guess  that  they  were  only  courting, 

Queerly  courting, 
While  the  other  was  cavorting. 
You  just  saw  what  these  were  thinking; 

Longing  there  to  hug  and  kiss: 
Seems  to  me  you  caught  them  winking. 

But  don't  wake  again  for  this." 
60 


KATYDIDS    AND    THE    MOON 


SUMMER  evenings,  when  it's  warm, 
In  the  yard  we  sit  and  swing: 
And  it's  better  than  a  farm, 
Watching  how  the  fireflies  swarm, 
Listening  to  the  crickets  sing, 
And  the  katydids  that  cry, 
"Katy  didn't!    Katy  did!" 
In  the  trees  and  flowers  hid. 
So  I  ask  my  father,  "Why? 
What's  the  thing  she  didn't  do?"  — 
For  he  told  me  that  he  knew:  — 

"Katy  dtdn't  like  to  worry; 

But  she  did  so  like  to  talk; 

Gossip  of  herself  and  talk; 
Katy  didn't  like  to  hurry; 

But  she  did  so  like  to  walk ; 

Saunter  by  herself  and  walk.  — 
How  is  that  now  for  a  story?  " 
61 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 
II 

And  one  night  when  it  was  fine, 

And  the  moon  peeped  through  the  trees; 

And  the  scented  jessamine  vine 

Swung  its  blossoms  in  the  breeze, 

Full  of  sleeping  honeybees: 

"  That 's  Old  Sister  Moon,"  he  said. 

"  She  's  a  perfect  simpleton ; 

Scared  to  death  of  Old  Man  Sun: 

All  day  long  she  hides  her  head." 

And  I  asked  my  father  why, 

And  he  made  me  this  reply :  — 

"  Sister  Moon's  old  eyes  are  weary ; 

Her  old  eyes  are  very  weak; 

Poor  and  old  and  worn  and  weak: 
And  the  old  Sun,  with  his  cheery 

Looks,  just  makes  them  leak  and  leak, 

Like  an  old  can  leak  and  leak. 
That's  the  reason  why,  my  dearie." 


62 


TOPSY   TURVY 

TOPSY  TURVY  is  her  name; 
She  's  a  curiosity : 
Never  sees  the  world  the  same 
As  it  seems  to  you  and  me. 
"  All  the  world  is  upside  down," 
So  she  says;    then,  with  a  frown, 
"If  it's  not  it   ought  to  be." 
Topsy  Turvy!    Topsy  Turvy! 

Takes  you  to  some  old  wood  pool, 
Or  some  well  to  prove  she's  right: 
"  There  's  the  real  world,  you  fool ! 
Something's  wrong  with  people's  sight. 
There  's  the  sky,  the  clouds,  the  wood. 
There  you  see  them  as  you  should. 
If  you  don't  it's  out  of  spite." 
Topsy  Turvy!    Topsy  Turvy! 

"  You  are  walking  on  your  heads, 
And  don't  know  it;  but  it's  true. 
You  don't  lie  down  in  your  beds, 
But  your  beds  lie  down  on  you; 

63 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

You  are  under  them.     The  sun, 
Moon,  and  stars  are,  every  one, 
Shining  underneath  you  too." 
Topsy  Turvy!    Topsy  Turvy! 

"  Seems  that  no  one  else  can  see 
As  I  see  it.     It 's  a  shame, 
Or  your  own  perversity. 
But,  good  Lord !    7  'm  not  to  blame. 
Don't  know  what  you  miss,  you  don't, 
By  not  seeing  things  you  won't.  — 
My !   how  fine  they  look  to  me ! " 
Topsy  Turvy!    Topsy  Turvy! 

Then  she  runs  away  and  hides 
By  a  creek  and  looks  for  hours, 
In  the  water  where  it  slides, 
At  herself,  the  trees  and  flowers, 
Sun  and  skies  and  clouds,  and  if 
You  just  laugh,  she  gives  a  sniff, 
Shakes  her  head  and  glares  and  glowers. 
Topsy  Turvy!   Topsy  Turvy! 


LITTLE  GIRLIE  GOOD  ENOUGH 

LTTLE  Girlie  Good  Enough 
Lives  right  there  across  the  street; 
Neater  than  a  powder-puff, 
Yes  she  is,  and  just  as  sweet: 
Bows  and  ribbons  on  her  hair, 
And  her  frock  just  so.     Declare, 
Looks  just  like  a  doll,  she  does; 
Best  girl  that  there  ever  was. 

Little  Girlie  Good  Enough 
Never  answers  people  back. 
Spick  and  span  from  shoe  to  cuff, 
Brighter  than  a  brand  new  tack. 
Knows  her  lessons  every  day; 
Never  loiters  on  her  way: 
Teeth  like  two  clean  rows  of  pearls. 
She  's  the  very  best  of  girls. 

Little  Girlie  Good  Enough 
Never  goes  with  shoes  untied; 
Never,  never  's  rude  or  rough ; 
She's  her  parents'  joy  and  pride. 
5  65 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Never  cries  for  candy,  nor 
For  the  things  not  good  for  her: 
Hair  is  always  combed  and  curled. 
She 's  the  best  girl  in  the  world. 

Little  Girlie  Good  Enough 
Never  gets  her  dresses  soiled; 
Never  plays  with  mud  or  stuff; 
And  her  face  looks  like  it 's  oiled 
It 's  so  clean  and  shiny.     She 
Never 's  even  out  at  knee ; 
Stockings  perfect,  always  so. 
She  's  the  best  girl  that  I  know. 

Little   Girlie  Good  Enough  — 
Wish  I  was  as  good  as  she! 
Never  flies  into  a  huff, 
Makes  a  scene  like  you  or  me. 
Only  speaks  when  spoken  to; 
Never  talks  like  me  and  you 
When  there 's  company  to  tea. 
She  's  a  good  girl ;   yes  sir-ee. 

Little  Girlie  Good  Enough  — 
I  don't  like  you,  never  could. 
Think  you  're  nothing  but  a  muff, 
And  that  you  are  far  too  good. 
66 


LITTLE     GIRLIE     GOOD     ENOUGH 

Never  kissed  a  boy !  —  oh  my ! 
Never  played  the  game  Hi  Spy, 
Lost  the  Handkerchief,  or  such! 
You're  too  good  to  even  touch. 

Little  Girlie  Good  Enough, 
Some  one  's  going  to  do  for  you ; 
Going  to  treat  you  good  and  tough, 
Spatter  you  from  head  to  shoe; 
Pull  your  hair  and  scratch  your  face, 
Send  you  home  in  great  disgrace; 
Show  you  you're  not  up  to  snuff, 
Little  Girlie  Good  Enough. 


67 


FROGS   AT   NIGHT 

T  HEARD  the  toads  and  frogs  last  night 
^      When  snug  in  bed,  and  all  was  still; 
I  lay  and  listened  there  until 
It  seemed  a  church  where  one,  with  might, 
Was  preaching  high  and  very  shrill: 

"  The  will  of  God! 

The  will  of  God!" 
To  which  a  voice,  below  the  hill, 
Basso-profundo'd  deep,  "The  will!" 

"  The  will  of  God! 

The  will  of  God!  " 

"The  will!    The  will!" 
They  croaked  and  chorused  hoarse  or  shrill. 

It  made  me  sleepy;    sleepier 
Than  any  sermon  ever  heard: 
And  so  I  turned  upon  my  ear 
And  went  to-sleep  and  never  stirred: 
But  in  my  sleep  I  seemed  to  hear: 

"  The  word  of  God! 

The  word  of  God!  " 
68 


FROGS     AT     NIGHT 

Chanted  and  quavered,  chirped  and  purred, 
To  which  one  deep  voice  croaked, "  The  word ! " 
"  The  ^word  of  God! 
The  'word  of  God!  " 
"The  word!    The  word!" 
And  I  slept  on  and  never  stirred. 


69 


RAGAMUFFIN 

I 

>  a  boy  that  you  must  know, 
Always  ragged,  dirty  too; 
Just  a  wretched  sight  and  show  — 
Worst  boy  that  I  ever  knew; 
Always  hitting  other  boys 
Smaller  than  himself.     Annoys 
People,  too,  by  throwing  stones. 
Breaks    more  windows !    that 's  his  game.  • 
Some  one  ought  to  break  his  bones. — 
Ragamuffin  is  his  name. 

Ragamuffin,  Ragamuffin! 

Some  day  some  one '11  knock  the  stuffin* 

Out  of  you  and  then,  perhaps, 

You  won't  bully  little  chaps. 

II 

Never  goes  to  school,  but  plays 
Hookey  all  the  time.  —  His  hat 
Slouched  like  some  old  drunken  bat 
Reeling  through  the  evening  haze, 

70 


RAGAMUFFIN 

Here  he  loafs  and  tries  to  scare 
Little  girls;    yes,  pulls  their  hair, 
While  he  mouths  at  them  and  jeers: 
Chews  tobacco,  too,  the  same 
As  these  ragged  grasshoppers.  — 
Ragamuffin  is  his  name. 

Ragamuffin,  Ragamuffin! 
Some  day  you  '11  go  home  a-snuffin* : 
Some  big  brother 's  going  to  fix 
You  for  all  your  loafer  tricks. 

Ill 

And  at  night  he  comes  around, 
Prying  in  the  windows  when 
Children  are  alone:    and  then 
Knocks  and  makes  a  dreadful  sound, 
Like  a  robber  getting  in; 
Scares  them  till  it  is  a  sin, 
Looking  fierce  as  robbers  do, 
Cursing  till  it  is  a  shame: 
It  would  even  frighten  you.  — 
Ragamuffin  is  his  name. 

Ragamuffin,  Ragamuffin! 
You  had  better  quit  your  bluffin'; 
Watchman  sure  will  cross  your  trail, 
Catch  and  lock  you  up  in  jail. 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

IV 

But  the  worst  thing  that  he  does, 

So  I  think,  is  poking  fun 

At  poor  beggars;   never  a  one 

Beggarly  or  villanous 

As  himself  is.     And  he  laughs, 

Fit  to  kill,  and  apes  and  chaffs 

Every  cripple:   lies  in  wait 

Just  to  mock :    pretends  he  's  lame : 

Jeers  then,  "Say!  why  ain't  you  straight?" 

Ragamuffin  is  his  name. 

Ragamuffin,  Ragamuffin! 
Some  day  you  will  get  a  cuffin'; 
Man  will  kill  you  with  a  crutch  — 
Hey !   we  would  n't  miss  you  much. 


72 


THE   JACK-O'-LANTERN 

T  AST  night  it  was  Hallowe'en. 
•••'     Darkest  night  I  've  ever  seen. 
And  the  boy  next  door,  I  thought, 
Would  be  glad  to  know  of  this 
Jack-o'-lantern  father  brought 
Home  from  Indianapolis. 

And  he  was  glad.     Borrowed  it. 
Put  a  candle  in  and  lit; 
Hid  among  the  weeds  out  there 
In  the  side  lot  near  the  street. 
I  could  see  it,  eyes  aglare, 
Mouth  and  nose  red  slits  of  heat. 

My!    but  it  looked  scary!     He 
Perched  an  old  hat  on  it,  see? 
Like  some  hat  a  scarecrow  has, 
Battered,  tattered  all  around; 
And  he  fanned  long  arms  of  grass 
Up  and  down  above  the  ground. 
73 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

First  an  Irish  woman,  shawled, 
With  a  basket,  saw  it;    bawled 
For  her  Saints  and  wept  and  cried, 
"Is  it  you,  Pat?    Och!   I  knew 
He  would  git  you  whin  you  died! 
'Faith !    there  's  little  change  in  you !  " 

Then  the  candle  sputtered,  flared, 
And  went  out;    and  on  she  fared, 
Muttering  to  herself.     When  lit, 
No  one  came  for  longest  while. 
Then  a  man  passed;    looked  at  it; 
On  his  face  a  knowing  smile. 

Then  it  scared  a  colored  girl 

Into  fits.     She  gave  a  whirl 

And  a  scream  and  ran  and  ran  — 

Thought  Old  Nick  had  hold  her  skin; 

And  she  ran  into  a  man, 

P'liceman,  and  he  run  her  in. 

But  what  pleased  me  most  was  that 
It  made  one  boy  lose  his  hat; 
A  big  fool  who  thinks  he  's  smart, 
Brags  about  the  boys  he  beat: 
Knew  he  'd  run  right  from  the  start : 
Biggest  coward  on  the  street. 
74 


THE    JACK- O' -LANTERN 

Then  a  crowd  of  girls  and  boys 
Gathered  with  a  lot  of  noise. 
When  they  saw  the  lantern,  well! 
They  just  took  a  hand:    they  thought 
That  they  had  him  when  he  fell; 
But  he  turned  on  them  and  fought. 

He  just  took  that  lantern's  stick, 
Laid  about  him  hard  and  quick, 
And  they  yelled  and  ran  away. 
Then  he  brought  me  all  he  had 
Of  my  lantern.     And,  I  say, 
Could  have  cried  I  was  so  mad. 


75 


OLD    JACK   FROST 

T  AST  night  we  were  kept  awake. 

*~*     Couldn't  sleep  for  Old  Jack  Frost; 
Wandering  round  like  some  old  ghost. 
Gave  the  door  an  awful  shake; 
Knocked  against  my  bed's  brass  post. 
Last  night  we  were  kept  awake. 

Couldn't  sleep  he  made  such  noise; 
Rapped  and  tapped  and  prowled  around. 
Once  he  made  a  snapping  sound 
Just  like  that  of  breaking  toys. — 
You  'd  been  scared,  too,  I  '11  be  bound. 
Couldn't  sleep  he  made  such  noise. 

All  was  dark  and  very  still, 
When,  right  at  the  window,  "bing," 
Came  a  rap  that  made  me  sing, 
"Mother,  I'm  afraid!"  until 
Mother  fussed  like  everything. 
All  was  dark  and  very  still. 
76 


OLD     JACK     FROST 

"Old  Jack  Frost  is  raising  Ned. 
And  to-morrow,  wish  to  state, 
We  '11  get  even  sure  as  fate ; 
Cure  him  of  his  tricks,"  she  said; 
"  Start  a  fire  in  the  grate. 
Old  Jack  Frost  is  raising  Ned." 

Then  I  heard  my  father's  voice: 

"  You  just  let  Jack  Frost  alone. 

He  's  good  friends,  you  should  have  known, 

With  Old  Santa.     Little  boys 

Are  not  scared  of  him,  my  son." 

Then  I  heard  my  father's  voice. 

So  I  went  to  sleep  again: 
Let  him  bang  the  furniture 
All  he  cared  to.     I  was  sure 
I  'd  get  even ;    that  was  plain : 
Old  Man  Fire  would  be  his  cure. 
So  I  went  to  sleep  again. 

Once  he  rattled  at  my  mug 
Where  was  water:    then  he  crept 
Round  the  room  and  softly  stept 
Here  and  there  upon  the  rug; 
Felt  his  breath,  but  I  just  slept. 
Once  he  rattled  at  my  mug. 
77 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Well,  you  should  have  seen  the  things 
That  he  painted  on  the  panes 
When  't  was  morning :   towns  and  trains ; 
Flowers  and  fairies;    ropes  and  rings; 
Stars  and  ribboned  weather-vanes. 
Well,  you  should  have  seen  the  things! 

I  just  shouted  when  I  saw. 
Called  to  father:   "Just  look  here! 
Old  Jack  Frost  is  such  a  dear! 
Wish  he'd  show  me  how  to  draw. 
I  'd  be  good  for  one  whole  year." 
I  just  shouted  when  I  saw. 


THE    POND 

AND  I  told  the  boy  next  door 
What  Jack  Frost  had  done;    and  he 
Said,  "  Ah  shucks  I   thai  '5  nothing  ;   see  ? 
/  have  seen  all  that  before. 
You  just  come  along  with  me; 
I  will  show  you  something  more." 

And  he  took  me  to  a  lot 

Where  there  was  a  shallow  pool; 

And  this  pool  was  frozen;   full 

Of  the  slickest  ice.     I  got 

On  it,  but  he  said,  "You  fool! 

It  will  break.     You'd  better  not." 

And  right  then  it  broke.     O  my! 
In  I  went  above  my  knees. 
Thought  that  I  would  surely  freeze. 
Old  Jack  Frost  just  caught  me  by 
Both  my  legs;    began  to  squeeze; 
And  then  I  began  to  cry. 
79 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

I  just  helloed,  and  the  boy 
Helloed  too;    until  a  man, 
With  a  dinner-pail  or  can, 
Heard  us,  and  cried  out,  "  Ahoy ! 
What  've  you  run  into  ?  "  —  Then  ran 
Till  he  got  there,  to  our  joy. 

He  just  took  me  round  the  waist, 
Lifted  me  as  easy;    so; 
Then  he  said,  "  I  think,  by  Joe ! 
You  two  boys  were  both  in  haste 
To  go  skating,  don't  you  know? 
Better  wait  till  summer 's  chased. 

"Where  you  live,  eh?"  — And  I  told.— 
"  Well,  we  '11  have  to  hurry.    Come. 
Old  Jack  Frost  has  nipped  my  thumb. 
I  shall  have  an  awful  cold; 
And  suppose  that  you  '11  have  some. 
Can't  be  helped.     Hope  Ma  won't  scold. 

"  My !    but  you  're  a  mighty  fine 
Little  boy!     Remind  me  of 
One  at  home  —  my  own  —  I  love. 
Eyes  just  like  yours  —  clear  as  wine. — 
There  now !     I  have  lost  my  glove.  — 
You're  just  like  that  boy  of  mine. 
80 


TH  E     POND 

"  Wish  he  knew  you.     Got  blue  eyes 
Same  as  yours  and  same  brown  hair. 
But  he 's  crippled.     Has  a  chair 
Where  he  sits  all  day,  or  lies. 
'  He  's  our  only  love  and  care  '  — 
So  his  mother  says,  then  cries. 

"  Here 's  your  street  and  here 's  your  home. 

Run  'long  to  your  mother.     Then  — 

I  '11  be  seeing  you  again. 

So  long.     Hope  the  day  will  come 

My  boy '11  be  like  you  young  men, 

Straight  and  strong  and  mettlesome." 

Then  he  went  and,  man  alive! 
I  felt  sorrier  for  that  man 
With  his  battered  dinner-can, 
And  his  crippled  boy,  than  I  've 
Ever  felt.     And  I  began 
Crying;    and  then  made  a  dive 

For  the  back-door.     Won't  forget 
All  the  fuss  there:    first  they  told 
Mother,  and  —  how  she  did  scold! 
Father  said,  "  This  getting  wet 
Will,  I  'm  sure,  give  you  a  cold."  — 
But  I  haven't  had  it  yet. 
6  81 


THE   CHARCOAL    MAN 

ONCE  a  charcoal  wagon  passed, 
And  an  old  black  charcoalman, 
"  Blacker  than  a  midnight  blast," 
Mother  said.     And  he  began 
Crying,  "  Charcoal !    charcoal ! 
Come  and  buy  my  charcoal." 
And  the  boys  they  mocked  him,  too, 
Just  the  same  as  parrots  do: 
"Charcoal!    Charcoal! 
Blacker  than  a  cellar  hole! 
Charcoal !    Charcoal  \ 
Come  and  buy  my  charcoal! 
Char-co-oal ! " 

But  he  never  looked  at  them, 
Only  cracked  his  blacksnake  whip, 
Sucking  at  his  old  pipe-stem, 
Not  much  blacker  than  his  lip: 
Crying,  "  Charcoal !    charcoal ! 
Come  and  buy  my  charcoal ! " 
And  the  boys  they  mimicked  him 
While  he  rode  on  black  and  grim: 
82 


THE     CHARCOAL     MAN 

"  Charcoal !    Charcoal ! 
Blacker  than  your  old  pipe's  bowl! 
Charcoal !    Charcoal ! 
Come  and  buy  my  charcoal! 
Char-co-oal!" 


Then  he  turned  and  shook  his  head 
With  a  sort  o'  grimy  smile; 
"Wish  you  had  my  job,"  he  said; 
"Come  and  try  it  for  a  while, 
Crying,  'Charcoal!    charcoal! 
Come  and  buy  my  charcoal ! ' ' 
But  the  boys  kept  up  the  fun 
Crying  louder,  every  one, 
"  Charcoal !    Charcoal ! 
Slower  than  an  old  black  mole! 
Charcoal!    Charcoal! 
Come  and  buy  my  charcoal! 
Char-co-oal ! " 

Down  he  got  then  from  his  team, 
In  his  old  patched  coat  and  hat, 
Rags  and  dirt  at  every  seam, 
Blacker  than  our  old  black  cat: 
Crying,  "  Charcoal !    charcoal ! 
Come  and  buy  my  charcoal ! " 
83 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

And  the  boys  they  stood  far  off, 
Mocking  him  with  gibe  and  scoff: 
"Charcoal!    Charcoal! 
Leaner  than  an  old  bean  pole! 
Charcoal!    Charcoal! 
Come  and  buy  my  charcoal! 
Char-co-oal!" 

I  felt  sorry  for  him  then: 
And  my  mother  called  him  in: 
Bought  a  boxful.     Gentlemen! 
Ought  to've  seen  him  laugh  and  grin, 
Crying,  "  Charcoal !    charcoal ! 
Come  and  buy  my  charcoal ! " 
And  the  boys  they  danced  and  laughed, 
Pleased  as  he  was,  while  they  chaffed: 
"  Charcoal !    Charcoal ! 
Shovel  it  and  let  it  roll!" 
And  he  answered  them  as  droll: 
"Charcoal!    Charcoal! 
Made  enough  to  pay  my  toll. 
Charcoal!    Charcoal! 
Run  and  tell  your  mothers,  boys, 
Here's  the  place  to  buy  your  choice 
Charcoal!    Charcoal! 
Best  they  ever  bought  or  stole. 
Charcoal!    Charcoal! 
84 


THE     CHARCOAL     MAN 

Bring  your  barrels  here  to  fill! 
You  can  bring  them  if  you  will! 
Charcoal !    Charcoal ! 
Help  along  a  needy  soul! 
Charcoal !    charcoal ! 
Come  and  buy  my  charcoal! 
Char-co-oal!" 


OLD    SIS   SNOW 

OLD  Sis  Snow,  with  hair  ablow, 
Down  the  road  now  see  her  go! 
Her  old  gown  pulled  back  and  pinned 
Round  her  legs  by  Wild-boy  Wind  — 
Oughtn't  he  to  just  be  skinned?  — 
Hear  her  shriek,  now  high,  now  low, 
Tangled  in  her  hair!    my  oh!  — 
Is  n't  she  a  crazy  show? 
Old  Sis  Snow! 

Old  Sis  Snow  now  to  and  fro 
Ramps  and  wrestles  and  hollos  "  Whoa !  " 
Sticks  her  long  white  fingers  through 
Every  crack  and  cranny  too, 
Reaching  after  me  and  you: 
Cold  I   and  look  how  fast  they  grow! 
Ghostly  in  the  lamplight's  glow, 
Threatening  you  from  head  to  toe!  — 
Old  Sis  Snow! 

86 


OLD     SIS     SNOW 

Old  Sis  Snow!   now  you  go  slow! 
You  '11  get  tired  enough,  I  know : 
Wild-boy  Wind  will  drag  you  down; 
Round  your  ears  will  tear  your  gown; 
Strew  its  rags  through  field  and  town. — 
Now  he  *s  at  it,  blow  on  blow, 
Hitting  hard  as  any  hoe.  — 
Hear  them  how  they  knock  and  throw! 
Wild-boy  Wind  and  Old  Sis  Snow! 


THE   BIRTHDAY    PARTY 

HAD  a  birthday  yesterday. 
First  one  for,  I  think,  a  year. 
Won't  have  one  again,  they  say, 
Till  another  year  is  here. 
Funny,  don't  you  think  so?    I 
Can't  just  understand  now  why. 

Anyhow  my  birthday  came; 
And  I  had,  oh!  lots  of  things  — 
Birthday  gifts  I  just  can't  name, 
Even  count  them:    toys  and  rings; 
Hoops  and  books  and  hats.     Indeed, 
Everything  that  I  don't  need. 

What  I  wanted  wasn't  suits; 
Wooden  toys  and  "Wonderland"; 
But  a  hoe  to  dig  up  roots; 
And  a  spade  to  shovel  sand; 
Rake  to  rake  where  father  said 
He  has  made  a  flower-bed. 
88 


THE     BIRTHDAY     PARTY 

But  I  didn't  get  them;    and 
Didn't  get  a  box  of  paints, 
Which  I  wanted.     I  raised  sand, 
Till  my  mother  said,  "  My  saints ! 
If  you  don't  behave  yourself, 
Party  '11  be  laid  on  the  shelf." 

So  I  did  behave,  and  played 

With  the  little  girls  and  boys, 

Who  just  stayed  and  stayed  and  stayed, 

Played  with  me  and  with  my  toys; 

Broke  some,  too;    but,  never  mind, 

Had  the  best  time  of  its  kind. 

Had  the  dinner  then.     I  bet 
Y*  never  saw  a  finer  sight. 
A  big  birthday  cake  was  set, 
Thick  with  icing,  round  and  white, 
In  the  centre  of  the  table, 
Looking  all  that  it  was  able. 

On  it  four  pink  candles  burned: 
And  we  had  a  lot  of  fun 
When  a  little  girl  there  turned, 
Blew  them  out,  —  yes,  every  one, — 
And  I  kissed  her  for  it  —  yes  — 
And  she  liked  it,  too,  I  guess. 
89 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

When  I  saw  my  father,  why, 
All  the  children  then  were  gone; 
Only  child  around  was  I. 
I  was  playing  on  the  lawn 
By  myself  when  father  came, 
And  he  kissed  me  just  the  same. 

And  I  asked  my  father  where 
Do  the  birthdays  come  from,  while 
He  sat  in  his  rocking-chair, 
Looking  at  me  with  a  smile. 
Then  I  asked  him  where  they  go 
When  they  're  gone.    He  did  n't  know. 


90 


SANTA    GLAUS 

WHEN  my  mother  isn't  here, 
And  I  just  <won'i  go  to  bed, 
And  it's  cold  outside  and  near 
Christmas;    and  the  kitchen-shed 
'S  covered  thick  with  frost  and  snow; 
Then  my  nurse  she  says,  "Oh!    oh! 
Better  get  to  bed!  — My  Laws! 
Think  I  hear  Old  Santa  Glaus!" 

Then  I  hurry;    never  kick, 
Squirm  or  cry  or  anything: 
But  jump  into  bed  right  quick: 
'Fraid  to  look  around;   and  cling 
Fast  to  nurse;    and  close  my  eyes 
Tight:    she  looking  just  as  wise! 
Scared,  too,  don't  you  know?    because 
She  just  heard  Old  Santa  Claus. 

Why  in  goodness  I  'm  afraid 
I  don't  know.     For  Santa 's  good, 
So  they  say,  and  brings  much  aid 
To  all  folks.     It 's  understood 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Specially  to  girls  and  boys, 
Christmas-trees  and  cakes  and  toys; 
But  there  mast  be  some  good  cause 
Makes  one  'fraid  of  Santa  Claus. 

It's  his  whiskers,  I  suppose; 
Gray  and  big  about  his  chin, 
Where  you  just  can  see  his  nose 
And  his  eyes,  each  like  a  pin: 
And  his  clothes  all  made  of  hair 
Twinkling  thick  with  frost.    Declare 
If  I  saw  him  I  'd  have  cause 
To  be  scared  of  Santa  Claus. 

One   night,  —  week  from   Christmas,  —  I 
Looked  out  through  the  window-pane; 
And  right  in  our  back-yard,  why, 
Some  one  walked  in  wind  and  rain, 
Swishing,  splashing  with  a  whip. 
Didn't  I  just  hop  and  skip 
Into  bed?    because,  because 
Guess  it  was  Old  Santa  Claus. 

And  I  am  all  shivery 
When  I  wake  up  winter  nights, 
And  it 's  dark  and  I  can't  see, 
And  the  black  wind  fights  and  fights 
92 


SANTA     CLAUS 


Round  the  chimney;    then  right  quick 
Under  cover  my  head  I  stick, 
Crying,   "  Mother !    wake  up !    'cause 
Think  I  hear  Old  Santa  Glaus!" 


93 


FORERUNNERS 

IS  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 

First  thing  that  you  '11  know,  U  's  here. 
Nurse  can  tell  it,  don't  know  how, 
By  the  smell  o*  th'  atmosphere, 
Shivery  and  never  clear. 
'T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 

'T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 
Boy  next  door,  he  says  he  knows 
By  the  ice  at  morning;    <wo<v)l 
And  the  way  the  old  wind  blows, 
And  the  way  it  snows  and  snows. 
'T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 

'T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 
Cook,  she  knows  it  by  her  aches, 
So  she  says,  or,  anyhow, 
By  the  many  cakes  she  bakes, 
Fruit-cakes,  nut-  and  pepper-cakes. 
'T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 
94 


FORERUNNERS 

'T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 

And  /  know  it,  yes,  I  do, 

By  the  rooms  they  won't  allow 

Me  to  go  in;    closets,  too, 

They  keep  locked  —  I  don't  know  who. 

'T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 

5T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 
Father  says  he  knows  it  by 
Money  and  his  purse;    and  how 
Much  it  takes  for  things,  oh  my! 
Little  boys  come  mighty  high. 
'T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 

'T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 
Mother  knows  it,  she  declares, 
By  the  sounds  at  night;    the  row 
In  the  parlor,  on  the  stairs  — 
Santa  carrying  in  his  wares. 
'T  is  n't  long  till  Christmas  now. 


THE    CHRISTMAS  TREE 

CHRISTMAS  is  just  one  week  off, 
And  Old  Santa  's  in  the  house ; 
In  the  attic  heard  a  cough 
Th'  other  day  when  not  a  mouse 
Nor  a  rat,  I  know,  was  there. 
Mother  said,   "You'd  better  be 
Good,  or  else,  I  do  declare! 
There  won't  be  a  Christmas-tree." 

Christmas  is  next  week.     And  I  'm 

So  excited !  —  In  the   night 

Hardly  ever  sleep.     One  time 

Woke  and  heard  strange  footsteps,  right 

In  the  hall,  go  down  the  stair; 

When  I  cried  to  mother,  she 

Said,  "  Lie  down,  now !     I  declare 

If  you  don't  —  no   Christmas-tree." 

Yes;    next  week  is  Christmas.     And 
I  heard  some  one  laughing  sure, 
Low,  half  smothered  by  a  hand, 
In  the  parlor  where  the  door 


THE     CHRISTMAS     TREE 

'S  always  locked  and,  my!    my  hair 
Fairly  crept.     And  suddenly 
Heard  a  hoarse  voice  say,  "  Take  care ! 
Or  you  '11  get  no  Christmas-tree." 

Mother  was  a-lying  down; 

'T  was  n't  she.     And  then  the  cook 

And  my  nurse  had  gone  in  town. 

Father,  he  was  at  a  book.  — 

Must  have  been  Old  Santa  there 

Just  a-lying  low  to  see 

If  I  'm  good  or  —  I  declare !  — 

Trimming  up  my  Christmas-tree. 

One  night,  huh!    the  kitchen  door 
Banged  wide  open.     'T  was  n't  wind. 
And  three  knocks,  or  was  it  four? 
Shook  the  window.  —  I  just  skinned 
Out  of  there  and  up  the  stair 
Where  my  mother  was;    and  she 
Smiled,  "'Twas  Santa,  I'll  declare! 
Bringing  in  your   Christmas-tree." 

And  I  never  pout  or  cry 
When  I  have  to  go  to  bed; 
Just  get  in  my  gown  and  lie 
Quiet;    listening  for  the  tread 
7  97 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Of  a  foot  upon  the  stair, 
Or  a  voice  —  it  seems  to  me 
Santa's  —  saying,  "  I  declare, 
It 's  a  lovely  Christmas-tree !  " 

Every  one  just  walks  the  chalk 
Now  it 's  near  to  Christmas.     Yes, 
I  'm  as  careful  in  my  talk 
As  a  boy  could  be,  I  guess: 
"  For  Old  Santa  's  everywhere," 
Mother  says   mysteriously, 
"  And,  unless  you  're  goody  'declare 
You  won't  have  a  Christmas-tree." 


98 


CHRISTMAS    EVE 

CHRISTMAS  Eve  is  here  at  last. 
And  I  'm  happy  as  can  be. 
Going  to  have  a  Christmas-tree, 
And  more  toys  than  any  past 
Christmas  saw  or  ever  had, — 
So  my  mother  says,  —  for  me. 
And  I  'm  glad,  am  just  as  glad 
As  a  little  boy  can  be. 
Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last. 

Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last. 
And  I  'm  going  to-bed  to-night 
Early ;    when  it 's  candlelight : 
Christmas  Day  can't  come  too  fast.- 
I'll  not  go  to-sleep,  I  think, 
But  be  wide  awake  when,  right 
Here,  Old  Santa,  with  a  wink, 
Down  the  chimney  comes  to-night. 
Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last. 

Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last. 
And  the  dining-room  and  hall, 
Parlor  too,  I  guess,  and  wall, 
99 


THE     GIANT    AND     THE     STAR 

All  are  hung  with  holly;    massed 
With  old  mistletoe.     A  smell 
Sniffs  of  cedar  over  all. 
Every  minute  goes  the  bell; 
Parcels  pack  and  pile  the  hall. 
Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last. 


Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last. 
And  it  has  begun  to  snow. 
Oh !    I'm  so  excited !    oh ! 
Windows  rattle  and  the  blast 
Shakes  and  mutters  at  the  door. 
But  that 's  not  the  wind  I  know; 
I  have  heard  him  there  before  — 
Santa  Claus  all  furred  with  snow. 
Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last. 

Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last. 
How  the  folks  go  hurrying  by; 
I  can  see  the  snowflakes  fly 
By  my  window;    whirling  past 
Everywhere;    and  our  front  yard 
'S  covered  white:    and  my!    oh  my! 
Hear  the  bells  that  jingle  hard! 
Must  be  Santa  sleighing  by. 
Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last. 
100 


C  H  R  I  S  T  M  A  S     E  V  E 

Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last. 
Tell  you  what  I  'm  going  to  do, 
Hang  my  stockings  up  —  yes,  two! 
My  favo  stockings;    for,  I  asked 
Mother  and  she  said  I  might. 
Then  I  '11  watch,  and  cry,  "  That  you, 
Santa  ?  "  —  when  he  comes  to-night  — 
"Hello,  Santa!     Howdy  do! 
Christmas  Eve  is  here  at  last." 


101 


NOTHING    TO    DO 

TTNON'T  know  what  to  do  to-day. 
••-^     Got  so  many  things  to  do 
I  can't  do  them.     Want  to  play, 
But  my  toys  are  all  too  new  — 
I  don't  like  to  play  with  them: 
Blocks  and  paints  and  dogs  and  guns; 
Watch  that  winds  up  by  the  stem ; 
And  a  train  of  cars  that  runs 
Round  a  track  and  far  away. 
Don't  know  what  to  do  to-day. 

Don't  know  what  to  do  to-day. 
Whether  just  to  stand  and  look 
At  my  Christmas-tree,  or  stay 
Looking  at  my  picture-book 
Full  of  fairy  stories;    or 
Ask  to  have  them  read  to  me; 
Or  to  bother  mother  for 
Something  off  the  Christmas-tree: 
I  don't  know  and  I  can't  say  — 
Don't  know  *whai  to  do  to-day. 

102 


NOTHING     TO     DO 

Don't  know  what  to  do  to-day. 
Never  can  make  up  my  mind. 
I  could  take  my  new  red  sleigh 
And  go  sleighing  on  behind 
Some  old  wagon  on  the  snow 
As  the  other  children  do: 
But,  you  see,  I  just  don't  know  I 
There's  my  brand  new  wagon,  too; 
It  'd  be  lonesome,  me  away.  — 
Don't  know  what  to  do  to-day. 

Don't  know  what  to  do  to-day. 
There 's  my  fine  new  rocking-horse, 
Long  of  tail  and  dapple-gray, 
I  might  ride  on  him  of  course: 
But  my  new  velocipede  — 
What  would  it  do  then?    or  what 
Would  that  "fiery,  untamed  steed," 
That  I  almost  had  forgot, 
Hobbyhorse  just  think  or  say?  — 
Don't  know  what  to  do  to-day. 

Don't  know  what  to  do  to-day. 
But  I  know  what  I   could  do: 
I  could  make  my  donkey  bray 
By  just  twisting  round  a  screw 

103 


THE     GIANT    AND     THE     STAR 

In  his  stomach,  and  that 's  all ; 
I  might  make  my  rooster  crow; 
And  my  big  mechanical  doll 
Play  his  music-box;    and,  oh! 
I  could  make  my  old  hen  lay.  — 
That 's  what  I  could  do  to-day. 

"  Don't  know  what  to  do  to-day ! " 
Mother  says.     "  Well,  I  suppose, 
Better  put  your  toys  away. 
You  've  too  many,  heaven  knows ! 
Don't  know  what  Old  Santa  meant 
Bringing  you  a  toy-store.     You 
Have  too  much,  that's  evident; 
Give  some  to  those  children  who 
Have  n't  toys  with  which  to  play.  — 
Thai  's  what  you  could  do  to-day. 

"Don't  know  what  to  do  to-day?  — 
That's  just  what  you  could  do!    take 
Lot  of  these  new  toys,  you  say 
You  won't  play  with,  and  just  make 
Christmas  visits  to  the  poor: 
Little  boys  and  girls  Old  Kris 
Skipped;   just  made  his  old  sleigh  soar 
O'er  their  chimneys;    seemed  to  miss 
Every  one  along  his  way. — 
Thai 's  what  you  could  do  to-day." 
104 


NOTHING     TO     DO 

That's  what  I  could  do  to-day. 

Then  I  helped  her  put  some  things, 

Toys  and  cakes  and  fruit,  away; 

Parceled  up  and  wrapped  with  strings, 

In  a  basket.     Then  we  went  — 

And  it  was  a  lot  of  fun!  — 

To  an  alley-tenement: 

Made  them  happy,  every  one. 

It  was  better  than  a  play. — 

That  was  what  I  did  to-day. 


105 


OLD    MAN    WINTER 

THERE  is  nothing  at  all  to  do  to-day. 
I  can't  go  out  and  run  and  play; 
For  it 's  raining  and  snowing  and  sleeting,  too ; 
And  Old  Man  Winter  he  is  to  blame. 
And  I  just  sit  here  and  think  it  a  shame. 
There  is  nothing  at  all  to  do. 

I  stand  or  sit  at  the  windowpane, 

And  look  at  the  snow  and  look  at  the  rain, 

And  the  old  dead  leaves  go  flying  by; 

For  Wild  Man  Wind  is  making  a  din; 

And  mother  says  that  it  is  a  sin: 

And  1 9m  almost  ready  to  cry. 

I   carti  go  out  in  the  wind  and  wet, 
And  it 's  a  long  time  yet  till  the  table  's  set, 
And  we  are  ready  for  toast  and  tea: 
It 's  a  long  time  too  till  the  lamp  is  lit, 
And  my  father's  home  and  I  can  sit, 
And  he  can  read  to  me. 
106 


OLD     MAN     WINTER 

And  I  can  not  play  or  do  a  thing; 
And  there  's  no  one  coming  visiting, 
For  it's  storming  more  and  more: 
But  now  and  then  there  's  a  rat-tat-tat, 
And  I  ask  my  mother  <what  is  thai, 
And  she  says,  "The  wind  at  the  door." 

And  she  says,  "  Now  what  can  the  Old  Wind 

want 

A-knocking  there  with  his  knuckles  gaunt? 
You  can  hear  his  old  hat  dripping  rain, 
And  his  ragged  cloak  that  flaps  and  slaps.  — 
Why,  I  guess  he 's  looking  for  little  chaps, 
To  give  them  a  cold  again. 

"  You  can  see  him  there  by  the  water-spout 

With  Old  Man  Rain  just  flapping  about, 

His  long  sharp  nose  an  icicle, 

And  his  fingers  too;   and  his  old,  wild  eyes 

Small  and  gray  as  the  winter  skies, 

Or  ice  in  a  winter  well." 

And  then  she  comes  to  my  side  and  sits 
And  says,  "Just  listen  how  he  hits! 
But  he  can't  get  in  and  you  can't  get  out: 
And  by  and  by  he  '11  be  out  of  breath, 
And  grumble  and  growl  himself  to  death, 
Or  leave  with  a  mighty  shout." 
107 


THE     GIANT     AND    THE     STAR 

Right  then  there  comes  a  step  on  the  stair, 
And  I  run  to  see ;    and  my  father  's  there ; 
With  snow  and  rain  on  his  coat  and  hat. 
Now  Old  Man  Winter  can  break  his  cane, 
Can  crack  his  cane  on  the  windowpane  — 
I  don't  care  a  rap  for  that. 

For   my  father's   home!  — "It's  a  wild   old 

night. 

The  Wind  and  the  Snow  are  having  a  fight," 
He  says,  "  and  are  mauling  each  other  around : 
First  Old  Man  Snow  rips  out  a  curse; 
Then  Wild  Man  Wind  says  something  worse; 
Then  both  are  on  the  ground. 

"  And  Old  Man  Snow  is  underneath, 
And  he  snarls  like  a  wolf  and  shows  his  teeth, 
While  Wild  Man  Wind  just  hits  and  hits: 
Then  round  they  wrestle ;  and  Old  Snow  reels, 
His  long  wild  whiskers  around  his  heels, 
And  his  gray  cloak  torn  in  bits. 

"  And  before  you  know  it  he  's  up  with  a  bound, 
And  it 's  Wild  Man  Wind  that  hits  the  ground, 
And  Old  Man  Snow  holds  down  his  arm: 
You  can  see  them  there  by  the  window-light, 
Wrangling,  wrestling  out  in  the  night, 
Out  in  the  night  and  storm." 
108 


OLD     MAN     WINTER 

Then  I  look  and  see  how  the  wind  and  snow 
Just  fight  it  out  and  thrash  and  blow; 
Their  windy  rags  through  the  ghostly  black 
Go  whistling  past  the  windowpane: 
Then  I  run  to  the  fire  and  lamp  again, 
And  reach  a  book  from  the  rack. 

The  lamp  is  lit,  and  my  father's  knee 
And  the  fairy  tales  are  ready  for  me: 
And  I  sit,  and  he  holds  me  by  the  hand: 
Now  Wild  Man  Wind  and  Old  Man  Snow 
Can  do  their  worst  and  bluster  and  blow, 
I  am  far  in  Fairyland. 


109 


A   LONG,    LONG   WAY 


F  T  's  a  long,  long  way  to  the  country,  where 
*•        I  wade  and  splash  in  the  creek; 
And  a  long,  long  way  to  the  Ferncreek  Fair, 

The  Fair  where  I  was  last  week: 
It 's  a  long,  long  way  to  the  end  of  the  world, 

Where  the  sun  blows  out  his  beams; 
But  the  way  is  short,  in  your  warm  bed  curled, 

To  the  old,  old  Land  of  Dreams. 


II 

It 's  a  long,  long  way  to  go  up  stairs 

When  you  're  down  in  the  yard  below ; 
And  a  long,  long  way  where  no  boy  cares 

To  ever  want  to  go: 
It 's  a  long,  long  way  to  the  world's  far  end, 

Where  the  stars  sit  down  with  God; 
But  the  way  is  short,  so  I  comprehend, 

To  the  wonderful  Land  of  Nod. 
no 


A     LONG,     LONG     WAY 
III 

It 's  a  long,  long  way  when  you  have  to  be 
dressed, 

When  you'd  very  much  rather  play; 
And  a  long,  long  way,  let  it  be  confessed, 

To  leave  where  you  'd  rather  stay : 
It 's  a  long,  long  way  to  the  end  of  the  Earth, 

Where  the  night  rolls  dark  and  deep; 
But  the  way  is  short,  in  your  cozy  berth, 

To  the  far,  far  Land  of  Sleep. 

IV 

It 's  a  short,  short  way  when  you  go  to  school, 

But  a  long,  long  way  back  home; 
And  my  teacher  says  you  can  find  a  fool 

No  matter  where  you  roam: 
It's  a  long,  long  way,  so  my  father  says, 

Till  some   folks  see  a  jest; 
But  the  longest  way  of  all  the  ways 

Is  the  way  to  the  Land  of  Rest. 


in 


TOMBOY 

HERE'S  a  little  girl  I  know 
And  we  call  her  So-and-So. 
She  is  neither  good  nor  bad  — 
Good  enough  for  me  although !  — 
Never  saw  a  girl  that  had 
More  real  life  in  her,  or  more 
Of  what  people  christen  go; 
Pretty  too  as  she  is  poor. 

So-and-So  is  not  her  name 
But  her  nickname.    She  's  to  blame 
For  it  —  being  named  that  way: 
For  she  often  starts  some  game, 
And,  when  asked  what  't  is  we  play, 
She  just  answers,  "  I  don't  know. 
It's  a  good  game  just  the  same; 
And  I  call  it  So-and-So." 

Other  girls  don't  like  her,  no; 
Just  because  she's  So-and-So; 
Call  her  names  like  Tomboy,  or 
Wildcat,  just  as  girls  will  do 
112 


TOMBOY 

When  a  girl  is  popular 
With  the  boys  and  doesn't  care 
Much  for  girls,  and  's  pretty,  too, 
With  blue  eyes  and  golden  hair. 

I  would  give  most  anything 
Just  to  hear  her  laugh  and  sing, 
Dance,  too.     She  is  funnier 
Than  a  circus  and  its  ring; 
And  no  boy  can  out-run  her, 
Or  out-dare  her.    And,  oh  my! 
You  should  see  her  in  a  swing, 
Streaking  it  into  the  sky! 

She's  the  girl  that  suits  me;    yes, 
And  suits  all  the  boys,  I  guess : 
Never  backward;    always  in 
For  some  picnic,  more  or  less. 
Take  your  top  and  wind  and  spin; 
Or  play  marbles;   fly  a  kite; 
Or,  if  needs  be,  in  a  mess 
She  can  just  pitch  in  and  fight. 

Let  some  big  boy   dare   to  touch, 
Bully  some  small  boy  or  such, 
She's  right  at  him  saying,  "  You 
Great  big  coward  I    need  a  crutch 

8  113 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

By  the  time  that  I  get  through !  "  — 
And  she  's  bright  at  school,  although 
She  don't  have  to  study  much 
As  some  other  girls  I  know. 

Once  two  weeks  went  by  and  she 
Had  just  disappeared;    you  see 
Hadn't  come  to  play  or  call: 
She  was  sick  apparently; 
And  we  made  it  up  that  all  — 
All  the  boys,  or  some,  should  go 
And  find  out  what  it  could  be, 
And  report  on  So-and-So. 

Well,  what  do  you  think!    Declare, 
When  we  rang  the  door-bell,  there 
At  the  door  she  stood  as  bright, 
Brighter  ev'n,  with  nice  combed  hair, 
In  an  apron  spotless  white: 
And  she  smiled  and  seemed  so  glad: 
But  about  her  was  an  air 
Of  importance  she  'd  not  had. 

Was  the  same  yet  not  the  same. 
And  when  I  began  to  blame, 
She  just  stopped  me  with  a  bow, 
Saying,  "  Boys,  I  Ve  changed  my  name. 
114 


TOMBOY 


I  Ve  a  little  brother  now  — 
Baby-brother.     Don't  you  know? 
Takes  the  place  of  every  game, 
And  I  call  him  So-and-So." 


THE    BOY    ON    THE    FARM 

OUT  in  Oldham  County  once 
Met  a  boy  who  showed  me  how 
He  could  milk  an  old  red  cow.  — 
Yes ;   he  was  n't  any  dunce.  — 
Put  me  on  an  old  gray  mare; 
Rode  me  to  an  old  mill,  where 
They  were  grinding  corn.     He  filled 
A  big  sack  and  then  we  sat 
By  the  dam  and  there  he  killed 
A  black  snake,  as  long  as  that. 

Then  he  showed  me  how  to  row 
In  an  old  flat  boat  that  leaked, 
Where  the  dam  was  stained  and  streaked 
With  big  lilies,  white  as  snow. 
Then  he  showed  me  how  to  swim 
Jumping  from  a  sycamore  limb: 
While  he  splashed  around,  why,  I 
Waded  up  and  down  the  shore; 
Then,  when  he  was  dressed  and  dry, 
Mounted  that  old  mare  once  more. 
116 


THE     BOY     ON     THE     FARM 

And  he  took  the  bag  of  meal  — 
"  That 's  for  corn-cakes,"  so  he  said : 
"  And  it   makes  the  grandest  bread !  — 
Cornbread.     Ain't  it  heavy?     Feel." 
And  he  slung  it  on  across 
That  old  mare,  who,  with  a  toss 
Of  her  tail,  turned  right  for  home. 
On  the  way  he  showed  me  where 
Hornets  had  their  nest,  like  some 
Foot-ball  made  of  paper  there. 

And  he  showed  me  how  to  catch 
Bumblebees  and  how  to  keep 
Them  from  stinging;   made  a  leap, 
Caught  one  in  a  clover-patch; 
And  he  showed  me  then  where  they 
Stow  their  honey-bags  away: 
Caught  two  bees  and  wasn't  stung: 
Took  one's  bag  and  gave  it  me, 
And  I  put  it  on  my  tongue: 
Sweet!  yes  sir,  and  smelt  of  bee. 

Then  he  caught  a  locust;   took 
Its  two  wings,  like  some  queer  toy's; 
Showed  me  how  it  made  its  noise; 
Held  it  up  and  shook  and  shook 

117 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Till  it  rattled.    And  that  night 

Showed  me,  with  a  lantern  light, 

How  the  pond-toads  puffed  their  throats, 

Each  one  like  a  toy-balloon, 

Swelling,  piping  reedy  notes, 

Making  music  for  the  moon. 

No ;    he  was  n't  any  dunce ; 
No,  sir.     Why,  he  'd  tell  the  time 
By  the  sun,  he  could.     And  climb! 
Climbed  a  great  tall  poplar  once 
Hundred  feet  or  more,  and  straight 
As  the  flag-pole  at  our  gate. 
When  he's  up  there,  took  his  hat, 
Tossed  it  up  and  cried,  "Hurrah!" 
Bet  you  no  man  could  do  that; 
No!    not  even  my  own  Pa. 

Lose  him?     Why,  he'd  tell  his  way 
In  the  darkest  night,  he  could; 
In  the  deepest,  darkest  wood, 
By  the  stars,  he  said:   by  day 
Knew  it  by  these  lichens  on 
Trunks  of  trees.  —  When  I  am  grown 
He  's  a-going  to  teach  me  all — 
Everything  he  knows ;    and  I  'm 
Going  there  again  this  Fall  — 
Lite  there,  may  be,  all  the  time. 
118 


OLD    SNAKE-DOCTOR 

I 

ONCE  I  found  an  ant-lion's  hole 
And  an  ant-lion  in  it:    nippers 
Like  a  pair  of  rusty  clippers. 
And  I  saw  a  red  ant  roll 
In  its  pit,  and,  quick  as  Ned, 
This  old  ant-lion  fanged  its  head, 
Held  it  till  the  ant  was  dead. 

II 

And  I  told  my  father:   he 

Smiled  and  said,  "  He  beats  the  dickens, 

With  his  pinchers;    even  chickens 

Have  n't  his  voracity.  — 

Think  now  what  he  would  have  done 

Had  you  been  an  ant,  my  son, 

Fallen  in  that  pit  like  one. 

Ill 

"  Daniel  in  the  lion's  den !  — 
Guess  you  'd  come  home  good  and  gory. 
But  now  here  's  another  story :  — 
You  should  see  these  ant-lions  when 

119 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

They  have  wings;    and,  blue  and  green, 
Ponds  and  pools  they  fly  between: 
Prettiest  things  7've  ever  seen. 

IV 

"  Look  just  like  the  dragonflies ; 
And  perhaps  they  are   snake-feeders; 
Name  you  '11  never  find  in  Readers 
Read  at  school:   but,  I  surmise, 
Dragonflies  are  not  the  same 
As  these  old  snake-doctors;    name 
For  which  /  am  not  to  blame. 

V 

"  Who  's  to  blame  then?     If  it 's  not 

I  or,  say,  the  dictionary,  — 

Since  we  two  seem  so  contrary, — 

Must  be  that  old  ant-lion  what 

Can't  content  itself,  that 's  plain, 

With  its  bug-estate;   remain 

Just  a  bug  in  sun  and  rain. 

VI 

"  Has  to  get  himself  new  clothes ! 
Gauzy  wings  that  shine  and  glitter; 
Something  that  he  thinks  is  fitter 
His  profession,  I  suppose, 
120 


OLD     SNAKE-DOCTOR 

Doctoring  things,  like  water-snakes; 

Finery  that  often  takes 

Eyes  of  hungry  ducks  and  drakes: 

VII 

"  And  of  fishes,  too,  the  fool. 
Who  his  coat  so  bright  and  brassy, 
Mirrored  in  the  waters  glassy, 
Leap  for,  drag  into  the  pool. — 
Old  snake-doctor,  flaunt  your  fill! 
Feed  the  snakes  or  cure  or  kill  — 
In  the  end  you  pay  the  bill." 


121 


THE    DEVIL'S    RACE-HORSE 

EVIL'S  Race-Horse  seems  to  me 

Strangest  thing  I  ever  saw: 
Up  in  our  old  maple-tree 
They  're  at  home ;    stand  rearingly, 
Lean  of  neck  and  long  of  claw. 
Strangest  thing  I  ever  saw. 

"Always  praying,"   father  says, 
"  For  some  bug  it  may  devour ; 
Insect  that  it  grabs  and  slays, 
Fly  or  moth  that  comes  its  ways, 
Journeying  from  flower  to  flower: 
Insect  that  it  may  devour." 

And  my  nurse  says :   "  I  suppose 
Little  imps  that  devil  sleep, 
Tickle  children  on  the  nose, 
Pull  their  hair  and  pinch  their  toes, 
Ride  these  things  around  a  heap: 
Little  imps  that  devil  sleep. 

122 


THE     DEVIL'S     RACE-HORSE 

"They're  their  fly-by-nights,  their  steeds, 
Door-knob  eyed  and  weird  of  wing, 
That  they  stable  in  the  weeds 
Of  the  garden,  where  it  feeds, 
Tiger-like,  on  everything: 
Door-knob  eyed  and  weird  of  wing. 

"  You  can  see  the  saddle  there 
Ready  on  its  ugly  back: 
Or  sometimes  the  imps  ride  bare, 
Like  the  wind,  with  hair  aflare, 
Through  the  midnight  deep  and  black, 
Straddle  of  its  ugly  back. 

"And  they  fly  where  little  boys 
Lie  asleep  within  their  beds: 
Boys,  who  alt  day  make  a  noise, 
Eat  a  lot,  and  break  their  toys, 
Fight  and  stand  upon  their  heads; 
Urchins  safe  now  in  their  beds. 

"And  they  come  to  little  girls 
Who  lie  sleeping  in  their  cribs; 
Who  all  day  have  tossed  their  curls, 
Nibbled  like  a  lot  of  squirrels, 
Torn  their  frocks  and  soiled  their  bibs; 
Romps  now  safe  within  their  cribs. 
123 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

"  And  these  imps  just  flutter  round 
On  their  Devil's  Horses  there; 
And  though  you  are  sleeping  sound, 
You  will  hear  them,  I  '11  be  bound, 
And  soon  feel  them  at  your  hair, 
On  their  Devil's  Horses  there. 

"  Sometimes  on  your  face  they  light, 
And  you  feel  their  long  claws  rake 
Right  across  your  nose;   or  right 
On  your  lip  they  prance  and  bite, 
And  you  writhe  and  scream  and  wake, 
When  you  feel  their  long  claws  rake. 

"  And  your  parents  wake  up,  too ; 
Turn  the  light  on;   come  and  say, 
4  What's  the  matter  now  with  you? 
Dreaming?     Had  the  nightmare?     Knew 
That  you  ate  too  much  to-day.'  — 
That 's  what  both  your  parents  say."  .  . 

Then  I  tell  my  nurse  that  I 
Wish  I  was  an  imp,  and  those 
Were  my  horses:  how  7'd  fly!  — 
Yes,  right  to  her  bed,  oh  my  I 
And  whizz  round  her  head  and  nose!  — 
Wish  I  was  an  imp  like  those! 
124 


THE  LITTLE  BOY  AND  HIS  SHADOW 


's    something    now    that    no    one 
knows, 

That  never  seems  to  mind  me  — 
Where  is  it  that  my  shadow  goes 
That  often  walks  behind  me? 
Where  does  it  go  when  I  come  home; 
For  often  I  'm  without  it  ; 
It's  queer  and  very  worrisome, 
I  'd  like  to  know  about  it. 

When  I  go  out  on  sunny  days, 

Why,  there  it  is  beside  me: 

And  there  it  skips  and  there  it  plays, 

And  from  it  I  can't  hide  me. 

I  cannot  run  away  from  it, 

It  runs  as  fast  as  Fido; 

And  if  I  stand  or  if  I  sit 

It  stands  and  sits  as  I  do. 

But  if  I  run  into  a  square 
Where  trees  stand  or  a  dwelling, 
Why,  then  it  's  gone  !     I  wonder  where  ! 
Who  knows?     It's  hard  as  spelling. 
125 


THE     GIANT    AND     THE     STAR 

And  then  it  never  says  a  word; 

It 's  surely  in  a  trance,  or 

Just  deaf  and  dumb  and  never  heard; 

If  not,  why   don'i  it  answer? 

And  in  the  moonlight,  when  I  walk, 
Why,  then  it  walks  before  me 
And  mimics  me,  but  will  not  talk, 
But  rather  seems  t'  ignore  me. 
And  I  have  noticed  that  at  noon 
I  walk  on  it,  it 's  smaller, 
But  in  the  night-time,  by  the  moon, 
It's  often  ten  times  taller. 

But  at  the  door,  both  day  and  night, 
It  never  fails  to  leave  me, 
That  is,  unless  there  is  a  light 
By  which  it  may  perceive  me. 
Why  don't  it  go  to  bed  with  me? 
Why  don't  it  lie  beside  me? 
It  seems  to  lack  in  courtesy, 
And  often  can't  abide  me. 

Why  should  it  come  to  skip  and  run 
Without  a  word  or  comment, 
And  stay  with  me  in  moon  and  sun, 
Then  quit  me  in  a  moment? 
126 


THE     LITTLE    BOY    AND    HIS     SHADOW 

Why  don't  it  come  in-doors  and  play? 
I  'm  sure  that  it  is  able. 
Why  don't  it  stay  with  me  all  day, 
And  eat  with  me  at  table? 

But  that  's  the  way  it  is,  you  see, 

When  one  is  least  expecting 

It  leaves  or  comes  quite  suddenly 

From  where  there's  no  detecting. 

Sometimes  it 's  short ;    sometimes  it 's  long ; 

Sometimes  it 's  just  a  glimmer ; 

It  acts  so  queer  I  know  it 's  wrong, 

And  puzzling  as  my  primer. 

For,  sometimes,  when  by  candlelight 

I  go  to  bed,  it  quivers 

Upon  the  stairs,  out  of  the  night, 

And  scares  me  into  shivers. 

From  ghostly  corners,  humped  and  gnarled, 

It  leaps,  or  down  the  ceiling, 

Crabbed,  crooked-kneed  and  knuckle-snarled, 

Goes  gesturing  and  reeling. 

But  where  it  goes  when  I  'm  in  bed 
And  fast  asleep  and  dreaming 
No  one  can  tell  me.  —  Mother  said 
That  I  beat  all  for  scheming 

127 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

And  bothering  her  with  questions:    that 

She  wished  I  was  as  quiet 

As  is  my  shadow  or  —  the  cat : 

Dear  knows!    she  'd  profit  by  it. 

My  father  said  he'd  come  to  find 

That  it  is  most  bewild'rin'; 

He  had  no  doubt  it  changed  its  mind 

As  frequently  as  children. 

"  I  can't,"  he  said,  "  tell  where  it  goes, 

Or  stays,  when  gone,  denied  you; 

Unless  it  goes,  as  I  suppose, 

And  lives  and  hides  inside  you." 


128 


THE    GHOST 

'T^HERE's  a  house  across  the  street 
•*•      That  nobody  goes  into; 
Say  it 's  haunted,  yes,  they  do ; 
Ghosts  live  there,  they  say,  or  meet: 
Saw  one  in  a  winding-sheet 
At  a  window  once,  and  took 
To  my  heels  and  ran  and  ran, 
Never  gave  another  look, 
Till  I  met  a  nigger-man. 

And  I  told  him.    And  he  said, 
"  Dat  ole  house  am  ha'nted  sure. 
'Deed  it  wuz  a  ghost!   a  pure 
Sure  nuff  ghost,  I  am  afred. 
Better  run  home;   git  ter  bed; 
Or  he  '11  kotch  yer.    Lawzy  me ! 
I  won't  pass  dat  house  ter-night. 
Onct  I  pass  dar:   whut 'd  I  see? 
Why,  I  seed  a  walking  light. 

"  Yep ;    an'  it  went  up  an'  down 
Like  a  fire-bug.     I  wuz  skeer'd 
Wus'n  you  wuz.     An'  I  heer'd 
9  129 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Chains  a-trompin'  all  aroun': 
An*  I  laid  dar  on  de  groun* 
Skeer'd  to  def.     An'  den  I  seed  — 
Whut  'd  yer  reckon?  —  seed  —  my  lands ! 
Seed  a  skel'ton!    yarse  indeed! 
Hulding  up  two  skel'ton  hands. 


"  Den  I  run'd  jest  like  you  did.  — 
Ought  ter  t'ar  dat  ole  house  down. 
Hit 's  disgrace  ter  dis  yere  town  — 
Dat 's  my  sintimints  —  an*  rid 
Us  ob  all  de  ghosts,  instid 
Ob  a-letting  'em  cavort 
'Roun',  an*  skeer  folks  lef  an'  right! 
T'ing  ter  do  would  be  ter  start 
Bonfire  in  it  some  dark  night." 


Then  he  turned  and  went  away. 
And  I  hurried  home  and  told 
Father,  and  he  said,  "  That  old 
Negro-man  has  had  his  say; 
Mine  I  '11  have  another  day. 
Come  with  me  now.     Let  us  see 
If  that  ghost  of  yours  now  goes: 
If  it 's  a  reality, 
Or  a  fraud  —  as  I  suppose." 
130 


THE     GHOST 

And  he  took  his  walking-stick, 
And  I  followed.  —  Sure  enough, 
At  the  window  was  that  stuff, 
Sheet,  or  piece  of  old  bed-tick, 
Waving  in  the  wind.  —  And  quick 
In  my  father  went.     And  —  why, 
Heard  him  laughing;   and  I  saw 
That  he  had  the  old  ghost  by 
A  long  string  that  he  could  draw. 

Wasn't  anything  at  all 
But  an  old  white  window-blind, 
That  the  folks  had  left  behind, 
In  the  window  of  the  hall: 
Had  got  loosened  from  the  wall 
And  the  wind  kept  flapping  it.  — 
I  laughed,  too;   but  was  almost 
Just  put  out  a  little  bit  — 
Wanted  it  to  be  a  ghost. 


THE    POPPET-SHOW 

ONCE  I  gave  a  "poppa-show": 
And  I  had  the  greatest  fun! 
Every  boy  and  girl  I  know  — 
That  is,  nearly  every  one, 
Came  to  see  it:    I  just  put 
Some  old  toys  into  a  box; 
Paper  things  that  I  had  cut, 
On  a  stage  made  out  of  blocks; 
And  the  children  came  in  flocks 
When  I  called  out,  "  Yo,  ho,  oh! 
Pin  to  see  the  *  poppa-show.' " 

Boy  who  lives  next  door,  he  came; 
Took  a  peep  and  said,  "  That  clown 
'S  worth  the  money,  just  the  same 
As  most  any  show  in  town."  — 
Then  he  went  away  and  brought 
Lot  of  girls  and  boys  to  see; 
Brought  so  many  that  they  fought, 
132 


THE     POPPET-SHOW 

And  were  bad  as  they  could  be: 
It  was  like  a  Christmas-tree: 
While  I  stood  there  shouting,  "  Ho ! 
Pin  to  see  the  '  poppa-show/  " 

Some  just  laughed ;   and  one  or  two 

Said  it  wasn't  worth  a  pin: 

And  another  said,  "  He  knew 

When  he  had  been  taken  in." 

And  a  little  girl,  who  paid 

A  gold  pin  right  out  her  dress, 

Cried  and  said  she  was  afraid 

She'd  be  spanked  at  home  unless 

She  received  it  back.  —  I  guess 

She  was  spanked.  —  I  said,  "  You  know, 

Pin  to  see  the  *  poppa-show.' " 

One  boy  tried  to  hit  me  then, 
But  the  boy  who  lives  next  door 
He  got  madder  than  a  hen, 
Knocked  him  down,  right  on  the  floor, 
And  then  pulled  him  out  and  I 
Helped  him  pull  him.     Then  a  girl 
Laughed  and  one  began  to  cry, 
For,  a  boy,  he  pulled  her  curl: 
Then  the  whole  room  was  a  whirl 
While  I  shouted,  "Oh,  yo,  ho! 
Pin  to  see  the  '  poppa-show.' " 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Then  a  big  boy  grabbed  my  box, 
Threw  it  in  the  midst  of  all; 
All  the  paper-dolls  and  blocks 
Clattered  on  the  floor  or  wall, 
Made  a  mighty  rumpus:    one 
Hit  me  on  the  head  a  slap, 
And  I  yelled.     But  it  was  fun; 
Didn't  care  a  cent  or  rap. — 
Suddenly  there  came  a  tap 
At  the  door,  and  I  cried,  "  Ho ! 
Pin  to  see  the  *  poppa-show.' " 

Then  my  mother  and  my  nurse 
Entered;    and  she  said,  "  What  boys! 
Girls  too !     Could  n't  be  much  worse. 
Making  such  a  lot  of  noise. 
You  should  all  be  sent  to  bed, 
Or  be  whipped.     I  never  knew 
Children  that  were  so  ill-bred, 
Nor  a  wilder,  rowdier  crew.  — 
Wonder  what '11  become  of  you!  — 
Now  just  pack  yourselves  and  go!  — 
No  more  pins  or  *  poppa-show.' " 

And  they  went,  and  mother,  she, 
When  the  last  of  them  was  gone, 
Left  me  in  the  nursery, 
Made  me  put  my  night-clothes  on: 


THE     POPPET-SHOW 

And  she  took  my  pins  away, 
And  I  cried  just  fit  to  kill  — 
But  she  gave  them  back  next  day, 
When  I  promised  I  'd  be  still, 
And  not  play  like  Jack  and  Jill, 
Tumbling  round  and  to  and  fro 
With  a  noisy  "  poppa-show.  " 


135 


DOUGH    FACE 

MADE  a  face  of  biscuit-dough, 
Which    our    black    cook    gave    me 

once; 

And  this  girl  named  So-and-So 
Said  'twas  funnier  than  a  dunce. 
And  she  took  it;    put  it  on 
Like  a  false-face.     Had  it  drawn 
Over  all  her  face.    "  Ain't  it," 
So  she  said,  "  a  perfect  fit?  " 

She  looked  funny  as  a  clown; 
And  I  called  her  Dough  Face;   she 
Laughed  and  said,  "  Let 's  saunter  down 
Where  the  people,  too,  can  see. 
Maybe  one  will  recognize, 
In  these  features,  nose  and  eyes, 
Some  long-lost  beloved  child, 
And  for  very  joy  go  wild." 

It  was  getting  dusk;   and  there 
At  the  corner  stood  some  girls; 
When  they  saw  us,  I  declare, 
They  just  hollered,  tossed  their  curls, 
136 


DOUGH     FACE 

Ran  away;   and  Dough  Face  fast 
After  them.     And  running  past 
Came  some  boys  who,  when  they  saw, 
Shouted  at  her,  "  Mardi  Graw!" 

And  one  said,  "  That  looks  to  me 
Like  that  Girlie  Good  Enough. 
Just  as  dough-faced,  isn't  she? 
Get  some  dirt.    Let's  treat  her  rough."- 
And  they  got  soft  mud  to  throw. 
Then  she  cried,  "I'm  So-and-So"; 
And  the  boys  all  shouted;    for 
You  must  know  she's  popular. 

Then  we  had  great  times,  we  did: 
First  one  boy  he  tried  it  on, 
Then  another;   and  he  hid 
In  a  house  where  folks  were  gone; 
Stood  there  at  a  window  where 
People  passing  in  the  square 
Saw  him;   and  a  nigger-man, 
Scared  to  death,  just  yelled  and  ran. 

Then  another  fellow  clomb 
A  back-fence,  and  put  the  face 
Over  his.     My!  he  looked  rum. 
Like  a  scarecrow  in  a  place 

i37 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Where  he  never  ought  to  be. 

And  he  rose  up  suddenly 

By  the  window  with  a  yell, 

And  the  cook  she  shrieked  and  fell. 

But  the  house-man,  who  was  there 
In  the  kitchen,  was  n't  scared ; 
He  just  jumped  up  from  his  chair, 
Banged  the  door  wide;    out  he  flared, 
Caught  that  boy  and  cried  "  police !  " 
Tore  the  dough-mask,  piece  by  piece, 
From  his  face:   then  So-and-So 
Screamed  at  him,  "  You  let  him  go ! " 

On  the  hydrant  was  a  hose; 
Quick  she  took  it;   turned  it  on; 
Streamed  it  in  his  mouth  and  nose:  — 
In  a  moment  we  were  gone, 
Left  him  spluttering  at  our  backs 
Blind  with  water.    We  made  tracks 
Home.    And  So-and-So  just  crowed, — 
"  End  of  Dough  Face  ep-i-sode." 


138 


LITTLE    BOY    BAD    AND    LITTLE 
GIRL    RUDE 

nurse  she  tells  me  stories,  too, 
To  make  me  good,  she  says;   but  I 
She  scares  me  so !  —  I  want  to  cry : 
And  if  my  father  ever  knew, 
I  guess  he  'd  make  things  pretty  hot, 
And  show  her  that  she  'd  better  not. 


Last  night  I  couldn't  sleep,  because 
She  scared  me  with  a  story;   yes, 
Because  I  had  been  bad,  I  guess, 
And  said  I  hated  Santa  Claus 
And  everything:    and  then  she  told 
This  story  that  just  made  me  cold: 


Little  Boy  Bad,  a  way  he  had 
Of  making  his  father  and  mother  mad; 
Until  one  day  he  ran  away 
139 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

To   a   wood   where   the   cats   of  the   witches 

stay. 

And  there  he  tarried  awhile  to  play, 
For  a  little  while  in  the  witches'  way. 

II 

When  night  drew  nigh  he  heard  a  cry, 
And  in  every  bush  he  saw  an  eye. 
Then,  three  by  three,  from  every  tree 
Big  coal-black  cats  came  stealthily, 
With  great  green  eyes  that  seemed  to  be 
As  big  as  the  moon  in  a  graveyard  tree. 

Ill 

Upon  the  ground  they  ringed  him  round, 
And  glared  at  him  without  a  sound; 
And  with  the  glare  he  felt  his  hair 
Rise  slowly,  slowly  in  despair, 
While  hard  he  shook  from  feet  to  hair. 

IV 

Then  down  the  gloom,  upon  her  broom, 
An  old  hag-witch  came  shrieking,  "  Room  !  " 
Then    snarled,     "  Hold  tight  I       You're    mine 

to-rigid  I" 

And  grabbed  and  whisked  him  out  of  sight.  — 
And  no  one's  seen  him  since  that  night. 
140 


LITTLE    BOY    BAD,    LITTLE    GIRL    RUDE 
V 

Little  Girl  Rude  was  never  good, 

And  never  did  the  thing  she  should. 

And  so  one  day  she  ran  away 

To  a  wood  where  the  owls  of  the  goblins  stay : 

And  there  for  a  while  she  stopped  to  play, 

For  a  little  while  in  the  goblins'  way. 

VI 

When  night  drew  near  she  seemed  to  hear 

A  noise  of  wings  in  the  ivy  sere; 

Then  a  hooting  cry  went  shuddering  by; 

And  in  every  tree  she  saw  an  eye, 

A  great  round  eye  in  each  tree  near  by. 

VII 

Then,  two  by  two,  from  the  ivy  flew 
Gaunt  ghost-gray  owls  with  eyes  steel-blue: 
And,  wing  to  wing,  within  a  ring, 
Around  her  they  began  to  swing, 
And  made  the  woods  with  hootings  ring. 

VIII 

And,  as  the  brood  tu-whit-tu-whooed, 
Oh,  how  she  wished  she  had  been  good! 
Her  hair  arose;   from  head  to  toes 
Her  marrow  slowly,  slowly  froze, 
While  hard  she  shivered,  teeth  and  toes. 
141 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 
IX 

And  then  she  saw  a  hairy  claw 
Reach  from  beneath  and  clutch  and  draw, 
Till  in  the  ground  her  feet  she  found 
While  goblin  laughter  circled  round. — 
And  since  that  night  she's  not  been  found. 


142 


PROBLEMS 

are  some  things  I  call  riddles, 
No  one  can  explain  or  tell: 
What 's  the  sound  that  comes  from  fiddles, 

Or  the  noise  made  by  a  bell? 
What  is  silence?    what  is  thunder? 

And  why  do  we  laugh  and  weep? 
But  the  strangest  thing  —  I  wonder 
Where  we  go  when  we  go  to-steep? 

What  are  words?    What  makes  our  voices? 

What's  the  reason  we're  not  dumb? 
What  is  music?    What  are  noises?  — 

I  have  thought  about  them  some. 
I  have  often  asked  my  father; 

He  just  laughed  and  said,  "  You  're  deep  I " 
But  what's  given  me  most  bother 

'S  where  we  go  when  we  go  to-sleep. 

There  's  the  wind ;   no  one  can  see  it ; 

Yet  it 's  stronger  than  a  man : 
Where's  the  boy  that  wouldn't  be  it? 

Making  all  the  noise  it  can. 


THE    GIANT     AND    THE     STAR 

What  is  it  that  makes  it  hover? 

And  what  makes  it  roar  and  sweep? 
But  the  thing  7've  wondered  over 

'S  where  we  go  when  we  go  to-sleep. 

What  makes  leaves  and  what  makes  flowers, 

Whence  they  come  and  where  they  go, 
And  what  is  it  we  call  "  hours," 

Those  are  things  I'd  like  to  know. 
What 's  the  scent  of  a  morning-glory, 

Or  a  rose,  that  none  can  keep?  — 
But  the  thing  that  gives  me  worry 

'S  where  we  go  when  we  go  to-sleep. 

What  is  sweet  and  what  is  sour? 

What  is  taste  and  what  is  smell? 
What  is  color  in  a  flower? 

Is  there  any  one  can  tell? 
Why  is  flavor  in  an  apple? 

And  what   is  it?  —  Asking's   cheap. — 
But  the  question  7  would  grapple 

'S  where  we  go  when  we  go  to-sleep. 

And  why  do  we  walk?    what  makes  us? 

Trees  don't,  growing  at  our  door: 
And  what  is  it  in  us  wakes  us 

When  we  can't  sleep  any  more? 
144 


PROBLEMS 

And  what  makes  us  grow  and  never 
Stay  just  babies?    crow  and  creep? 

But  the  question  is  forever, 

Where  do  we  go  when  we  go  to-sleep? 

What  is  that  which  we  call  feeling? 

And  what  makes  our  eyes  to  see? 
"  Now,"  my  father  says,  "  you  're  dealing 

With  some  things  too  deep  for  me. 
These  things,  son,  you  'd  best  abandon. 

They  have  muddled  men  a  heap  — 
Things  I  'd  like  to  lay  my  hand  on !  — 

You  had  better  go  to-sleep." 


10 


145 


WHAT    THE    TREES    SAID    TO    THE 
LITTLE   BOY 

I 

E  when  the  park 
Was  very  dark 

I  slipped  out  and  went  walking; 
And  heard  the  trees 
To  the  summer  breeze, 
And  to  each  other  talking. 

II 

And  I  heard  them  say, 
"  We  have  stood  all  day 
In  one  spot  here,  and  worried 
To  keep  the  sun 
From  each  little  one 
Who  laughed  at  our  feet  or  hurried. 

Ill 

"  Now  every  boy 
And  girl  and  toy 
Is  safe  at  home,  my  patience! 
Why!     I  and  you, 
As  their  parents  do, 
Can  talk  of   our  relations." 
146 


LITTLE    BOY    SLEEPY 

T    ITTLE  Boy  Sleepy  won't  go  to  bed, 
^-^    Though  the  Sand  Man  came  an  hour  ago, 
And  sand  all  under  his  eyelids  spread: 
Though  his  eyes  are  heavy  and  heavy  his  head, 
And  his  little  tired  feet  seem  made  of  lead, 
And  he  nods  and  yawns  as  he  drags  them 

slow.  — 
Little  Boy  Sleepy  won't  go  to  bed. 

Little  Boy  Sleepy  just  has  to  play, 
Though  his  toys  are  tired  as  he,  I  know: 
His  little  toy-horse  in  its  little  toy-dray 
Just  seems  to  beg  to  be  put  away; 
It  has  worked  so  hard  all  day,  all  day, 
Hauling  the  toy-blocks  to  and  fro. 
Little  Boy  Sleepy  just  has  to  play. 

Little  Boy  Sleepy  won't  be  undressed; 

"  Just  one  more  minute  to  play,  my  oh ! "  — 

His  little  lead  soldier  looks  so  distressed, 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

And  his  paper  rooster  hangs  down  his  crest, 
And  the  little  wool-dog  just  begs  for  rest, 
And  the  Jack-in-the-Box  looks  worlds  of  woe. 
Little  Boy  Sleepy  won't  be  undressed. 

Little  Boy  Sleepy  lifts  up  his  voice :  — 
"  I  want  to  play  with  my  toys  some  mo ! 
I  am  not  sleepy!   I  want  my  toys! 
My  little  toy-cat  and  my  bears  and  boys, 
And  my  little  toy-train  that  makes  a  noise, 
And  the  little  tin-horn  I  blow  and  blow." 
Little  Boy  Sleepy  lifts  up  his  voice. 

Little  Boy  Sleepy  just  sighs  and  sighs; 

And  then  he  mutters,  "  It  is  n't  so ! 

It  is  n't  night !    I  must  make  some  pies, 

Some  little  mud  pies ! "  —  and  then  his  eyes 

Just  seem  to  close  and  down  he  lies 

In  his  mother's  arms  who  rocks  him  slow. 

Little  Boy  Sleepy  just  sighs  and  sighs. 


148 


TIME   TO    GET    UP 

I 

THERE  's  nothing  to  do  in  the  morning  but 
stew, 

Till  it's  time  to  get  up  and  dress; 
Till  my  nurse  comes  in  to  button  and  pin, 

And  dress  me  more  or  less: 
Then  it 's  time  to  get  up,  get  up,  you  see, 
And  I  am  as  happy  as  happy  can  be. 

II 

For  there  is  my  drum  a-calling  me  "  Come ! " 
My  clown  a-shouting  "Hooray!" 

My  dishes  and  table  and  little  toy-stable 
Just  clattering  "  Come  and  play ! " 

And  my  little  wood-soldiers,  with  foot  to  foot, 

Seem  ready  to  fire  a  toy-salute. 

in 
And  my  spade  and  rake  just  seem  to  ache 

For  me  to  handle  and  use; 
And  the  pile  of  sand  it  seems  to  expand 

With  joy  when  it  feels  my  shoes. 
But  the  gladdest  of  all,  the  maddest  of  all, 
That  leaps  to  my  hand,  is  my  little  red  ball. 
149 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 
IV 

I  bound  and  run  and  every  one 

Is  happy  almost  as  I; 
With  my  whistle  and  whip  I  hop  and  skip, 

And  make  my  rocking-horse  fly. 
I  take  my  horn  and  I  make  it  say, 
"  Good  morning  to  all !    It 's  a  very  fine  day !  " 

V 
There  's  nothing  to  do  in  the  morning  but  stew 

Until  it  is  time  to  rise; 
Till  my  nurse  comes  in  to  button  and  pin, 

A-rubbing  the  sleep  from  her  eyes: 
Then  it 's  time  to  get  up,  and  hurry,  you  see, 
Where  all  of  my  toys  are  waiting  for  me. 


150 


DILLY    DALLY 


THERE  is  a  little  girl  I  know 
Who  takes  her  time  to  come  and  go. 
If  you  should  ask  her  please  to  hurry, 
She  tries  her  best  then  to  be  slow: 
She  gives  her  parents  lots  of  worry; 
But  she,  she  never  worries  —  no. — 
Her  name  is  Dilly  Dally; 
But  some  folks  call  her  "  Gallic." 

From  head  to  feet 

She  *s  never  neat, 
But  always  shilly  shally. 

II 

When  it  is  time  for  her  to  rise, 

She  won't  get  up,  but  lies  and  lies, 

Her  head  beneath  the  cover: 

Then  down  she  comes  with  sleepy  eyes, 

When  breakfast-time  is  over; 

Uncombed,  with  shoes  she  never  ties. — 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Her  name  is  Dilly  Dally; 

But  some  folks  call  her  "  Gallic." 

From  head  to  feet 

She  's  never  neat, 
But  always  shilly  shally. 

Ill 

When  it  is  time  to  go  to  bed, 

She  plays  around  or  hangs  her  head, 

And  mopes  in  some  dark  corner, 

And  cries  and  wishes  she  were  dead: 

No  girl  could  be  forlorner 

When  off  to  bed  at  last  she 's  led.  — 

Her  name  is  Dilly  Dally; 

But  some  folks  call  her  "  Gallic." 

From  head  to  feet 

She's  never  neat, 
But  always  shilly  shally. 


152 


LITTLE    BIRD 

I 

A  LITTLE  bird  sits  in  our  cottonwood  tree, 
And  perks  his  head  and  sings; 
And  this  is  the  song  he  pipes  to  me 
While  he  flirts  his  tail  and  wings:  — 

"Hello!    hello! 
You  jolly  little  fellow! 
Hello!    hello!    I  say! 
Do  you  hear  me  every  morning 
How  I  try  to  give  you  warning? 
With  my  little  song  adorning 
Every  day,  every  day; 
With  my  little  song  adorning  every  day. 
I  want  to  tell  you  this,  sir: 
You  are  sweeter  than  a  kiss,  sir, 
You  are  fairer  than  a  posy, 
With  your  face  so  fresh  and  rosy; 
Oh,  I  love  to  see  you  merry  at  your  play, 

Every  day; 
I  love  to  see  you  laughing  at  your  play. 

Hello!    hello! 
You  merry  little  fellow ! " 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 
II 

And  I  run  to  the  tree  where  he  sings  and  sits, 
High  up  on  the  topmost  limb; 
And  he  cocks  his  eye  and  flirts  and  flits 
While  I  reply  to  him :  — 

"Hello!    hello! 
You  cunning  little  fellow! 
Hello!   hello!   I  say! 
You  are  complimenting  early; 
And  your  song  is  clear  and  pearly 
As  the  dewdrop  dripping  nearly 
From  the  spray,  from  the  spray; 
As  the  dewdrop  dripping  nearly  from  the  spray. 
Your  singing  is  far  sweeter 
Than  any  rhyme  or  metre: 
Oh,  I  love  to  hear  you  whistle, 
Swinging  lighter  than  a  thistle, 
And  I  hope  you  '11  come  and  see  me  every  day, 

Every  day; 
I  hope  you  '11  come  and  see  me  every  day. 

Hello!    hello! 
You  darling  little  fellow!" 


HEY,    LITTLE   BOY 


'TTEY,  little  boy,  little  boy,  come  to  me! 
•**•     Hey,  little  boy,  little  boy,  Andy! 
Hey,  little  boy,  little  boy,  can  it  be 
Your  mouth  is  crumbed  with  candy?" 

"What's  that  to  you?    what's  that  to  me? 
What's  that  to  you,  nurse  Mandy? 
It  well  may  be  —  why,  certainly 
My  mouth  is  crumbed  with  candy." 

II 

"  Hey,  little  boy,  little  boy,  go  away ! 
Hey,  boy,  on  what  you  banking? 
Hey,  little  boy,  little  boy,  what  you  say? 
You  surely  want  a  spanking ! " 

"Not  now,  to-morrow,  or  to-day! 
For  that  you  have  my  thanking: 
Come,  wash  these  signs  of  sweets  away, 
And  I  won't  get  a  spanking." 

155 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 
III 

"  Hey,  little  boy,  little  boy,  don't  you  hear? 
Hey,  little  boy,  stop  your  running! 
Hey,  boy,  come  here,  and  tell  me,  dear, 
Why  you're  so  sweet  and  cunning." 

"  If  I  am  sweet,  if  I  am  dear,  — 

Now  don't  you  go  and  tell,  oh !  — 

The  sweet  things  that  one  eats,  you  hear? 

They  sweeten  up  a  fellow." 


156 


FIDDLEDEEDEE    AND     THE 
BUMBLEBEE 

WAS  Fiddledeedee  who  put  to  sea 
With  a  rollicking  buccaneer  Bumblebee : 
An  acorn-cup  was  their  hollow  boat  — 
A  rakish  craft  was  their  acorn-boat  — 
And  their  sail  a  butterfly's  wing; 
Their  mast,  a  bit  o'  the  stem  of  an  oat,  — 
A  jaunty  jib  was  this  bit  of  an  oat,  — 
And  their  rudder  a  hornet's  sting, 

By  jing! 

Their  rudder  a  hornet's  sting. 
In  an  acorn-cup  they  put  to  sea, 
Did  Fiddledeedee  and  the  Bumblebee. 

"  We  '11  sail  to  the  Isles  of  Tweedledumdee," 

Quoth  Fiddledeedee  to  the  Bumblebee: 

So  they  steered  past  the  Isles  of  Cream  and 

Ice  — 

Oh,  cold  were  the  Isles  of  Cream  and  Ice  — 
And  came  to  the  Sea  of  Ginger  Beer; 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

And  there,  by  the  City  of  Sugar  and  Spice  — 
The  sweet,  sweet  City  of  Sugar  and  Spice  — 

Their  acorn-boat  upset,  my  dear, 
I  hear 

Their  acorn-boat  upset,  my  dear. 
"  Good-by  to  the  Isles  of  Tweedledumdee," 
Said  Fiddledeedee  to  the  Bumblebee. 


158 


HAPPY-GO-LUCKY 

I   CAN'T  get  up  with  the  chickens; 
I  can't  get  up  at  dark: 
And  what  do  I  care  for  the  early  worm? 
And  what  do  I  care  for  the  lark? 

I  can't  do  this  or  that  thing; 

I  can't  do  things  like  you; 
And  the  thing  that  I  do  most  frequent 

Is  the  thing  I  never  do. 

I  can't  go  where  I  would  go, 

Though  I  go  from  morn  till  eve; 

But  some  place  I  go  wherever  I  go 
Whenever  a  place  I  leave. 

For  the  law  of  the  road  is  this  law, 
And  the  law  is  right  and  good: 

Just  go  your  ways  and  take  no  heed 
Of  how  you  get  your  food. 
159 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

And  the  law  of  the  road  is  this  law, 
And  the  law  is  one  to  keep: 

It  never  matters,  wherever  you  are, 
So  you  have  a  place  to  sleep. 

And  the  law  of  the  road  is  this  law, 

And  the  law  —  may  it  grow  and  grow! 

Wherever  you  go  and  whatever  you  do 
Let  no  one  ever  know. 


160 


WINTER    DAYS 

winter  days,"  my  father  says, 
"  When  mornings  blow  and  bite  and 

freeze, 

And  hens  sit  cackling  in  the  straw, 
Stiff  with  the  frost  as  gates  that  wheeze, 
Remind  me  of  my  youth  when,  raw, 
The  day  broke  and,  beneath  the  trees, 

Wild  winds  would  twist, 
I  went  to  work  with  axe  and  saw, 

Or  stopped  to  blow  my  mittened  fist. 

"  These  winter  noons,"  my  father  croons, 
"  When  eggs,  the  hens  have  hardly  laid, 
Crack  open  with  the  cold;    and  cows 
Drink  through  the  hole  a  heel  has  made, 
Some  rustic  in  his  huddled  blouse, 
Bring  back  the  noons  when,  with  a  spade, 

Down  on  the  farm, 
I  pathed  the  snow  from  barn  to  house, 
And  beat  my  arms  to  keep  me  warm. 
"  161 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

"  These  winter  nights,"  so  he  recites, 
"  With  those  old  nights  are  right  in  tune, 
When  cocks  crew  out  the  hours  till  dawn 
And  all  night  long  the  owlet's  croon 
Quavered  and  quivered  far  withdrawn; 
And  cold  beneath  the  freezing  moon 

The  old  fox-hound 
Bayed  where  the  icicles  glittered  wan, 

And  all  the  old  house  slumbered  sound." 


162 


A   SONG   FOR   ALL   DAY 

A  ROLLICKING  song  for  the  morn,  my 
boy, 

A  rollicking  song  for  the  morn: 
It  Js  up  and  out  with  a  laugh  and  shout, 
While  the  bright  sun  circles  the  world  about, 
And  the  dew  is  on  the  corn,  my  boy, 
The  dew  is  on  the  corn. 
Barefoot,  brown,  with  trousers  torn, 
It 's  up  and  out  with  the  morn. 

A  jolly  good  song  for  the  noon,  my  boy, 

A  jolly  good  song  for  the  noon: 
It 's  out  and  away  where  the  wild  woods  sway, 
And  the  wind  and  the  birds  have  a  holiday, 

And  whistle  an  oldtime  tune,  my  boy, 

And  whistle  an  oldtime  tune. 
Healthy,  happy,  a  heart  of  June, 

It's  out  in  the  woods  at  noon. 

A  wonderful  song  for  the  eve,  my  boy, 
A  wonderful  song  for  the  eve: 
163 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

The  sunset's  bars  and  a  trail  of  stars, 
And  the  falls  of  the  creek  a  mine  of  spars, 

Or  a  weft  of  crystal  weave,  my  boy, 

A  weft  of  crystal  weave. 
Hungry,  tired,  with  nothing  to  grieve, 

It 's  home  again  at  eve. 

A  lullaby  song  for  the  night,  my  boy, 

A  lullaby  song  for  the  night: 
When  crickets  cry  and  owlets  fly, 
And  the  house-hound  bays  the  moon  on  high, 

And  the  window-lamp  shines  bright,  my 
boy, 

The  window-lamp  shines  bright. 
A  drowsy  kiss  and  a  bed  snow-white, 

And  a  lullaby-song  for  the  night. 


164 


A   BOY'S    HEART 

IT  's  out  and  away  at  break  of  day, 
To  frolic  and  run  in  the  sun-sweet  hay: 
It's  up  and  out  with  a  laugh  and  shout  — 
Let  the  old  world  know  that  a  boy 's  about. 

It 's  ho  for  the  creek  that  the  minnows  streak, 
That  the  sunbeams  dapple,  the  cattle  seek; 
For  a  fishing-pole  and  a  swimming-hole, 
Where  a  boy  can  loaf  and  chat  with  his  soul. 

It's  oh  to  lie  and  look  at  the  sky 

Through  the  roof  of  the  leaves  that 's  built 

so  high: 

Where  all  day  long  the  birds  make  song, 
And  everything  's  right  and  nothing  is  wrong. 

It 's  hey  to  win  where  the  breeze  blows  thin, 
And  watch  the  twinkle  of  feather  and  fin: 
To  lie  all  day  and  dream  away 
The  long,  long  hours  as  a  boy's  heart  may. 
165 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

It 's  oh  to  talk  with  the  trees  and  walk 
With  the  winds  that  whisper  to  flower  and 

stalk : 

And  it 's  oh  to  look  in  the  open  book 
Of  your  own  boy-dreams  in  some  leafy  nook. 

Away  from  the  noise  of  the  town,  and  toys, 
To  dream  the   dreams  that  are  dreamed  by 

boys: 

To  run  in  the  heat,  with  sun-tanned  feet, 
To  the  music  of  youth  in  your  heart's  young 

beat. 

To  splash  and  wade  in  the  light  and  shade 
Of  the  league-long  ripples  the  sunbeams  braid : 
In  boyhood's  wise  to  see  with  eyes 
Of  fancy  hued  as  the  butterflies. 

To  walk  for  hours  and  learn  the  flowers, 
And  things  that  haunt  the  woods  and  bowers : 
To  climb  to  a  nest  on  a  tree's  top  crest, 
Where  a  bird,  like  your  heart,  is  singing  its 
best. 

To  feel  the  rain  on  your  face  again, 
Like  the  thirsty  throats  that  the  flowers  strain : 
To  hear  the  call  of  the  waterfall, 
Like  the  voice  of  youth,  a  wonder-thrall. 
1 66 


A     BOY'S     HEART 

And  it  's  oh  for  me  at  last  to  see 

The  rainbow's  end  by  the  hillside  tree: 

On  the  wet  hillside  where  the  wild  ferns  hide, 

Like  a  boy's  bright  soul  to  see  it  glide. 

Then  to  laugh  and  run  through  shower  and  sun 
In  the  irised  hues  that  are  arched  and  spun: 
And,  the  rainbow's  friend,  to  find  and  spend 
The  bag  of  gold  at  the  rainbow's  end. 


167 


BOYHOOD 

ODAYS  that  hold  us ;  and  years  that  mold 
us! 

And  dreams  and  mem'ries  no  time  destroys! 
Where  lie  the  islands,  the  morning  islands, 
And  where  the  highlands  we  knew  when  boys? 

Oh,  tell  us,  whether  the  happy  heather 
Still  purples  ways  we  used  to  roam; 
And  mid  its  roses,  its  oldtime  roses, 
The  place  reposes  we  knew  as  home. 

Oh,  could  we  find  him,  that  boy,  and  bind 

him,  — 

The  boy  we  were  that  never  grew,  — 
By    whom    we're    haunted,    our    hearts    are 

haunted,  — 
What  else  were  wanted  by  me  and  you? 

Again  to  see  it!    Again  to  knee  it! 

The  pond  we  waded,  the  brook  we  swum; 

That    held    more    pleasures,    more    priceless 

pleasures, 

Than  all  the  treasures  to  which  we  come. 
1 68 


BOYHOOD 

Again  to  follow  through  wood  and  hollow 
A  cowbell's  tinkle,  a  bird's  wild  call, 
To  where  they  yellow,  the  daisies  yellow, 
And  lights  lie  mellow  at  evenfall. 

To  be  the  leaders  of  oaks  and  cedars, 
The  giant  hosts  of  worlds  at  war; 
Or  princes  airy,  proud  princes  airy, 
Of  Lands  of  Faery  that  lie  afar. 

Through  scents  of  yarrow,  where  paths  are 

narrow, 

To  foot  the  way  we  only  know, 
That  leads  to  places,  old  orchard  places, 
And  garden  spaces  of  Long  Ago. 

To  climb  rail  fences,  when  dusk  commences, 
With  young  Adventure,  tanned  hand  in  hand; 
And  lead  by  starlight,  by  dewy  starlight, 
To  one  farm's  far  light  a  campaign  planned. 

Where    she,    our    princess,    mid    blossoming 

quinces,  — 

The  first  dear  girl  for  whom  we  cared, — 
And  got  a  rating,  her  father's  rating, — 
Stands  sweetly  waiting,  brown-eyed,  brown- 
haired. 

169 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 

Or,  in  the  morning,  without  a  warning, 
With  health  for  luggage  and  love  for  spur, 
To  make  invasion,  divine  invasion, 
As  suits  occasion,  of  worlds  for  her. 

With  her,  as  eager,  again  beleaguer 

The  forest's  fortress  of  leaf  and  log; 

And  pierce  its  vastness,  its  gloomy  vastness, 

And  storm  its  fastness  with  stick  and  dog. 

And  from  its  shadows'  rich  Eldorados 
The  untold  gold  of  blossoms  bring: 
And,  as  in  story,  in  song  and  story, 
Beard  Wildness  hoary,  like  some  old  king. 

Or  lead  lost  legions  through  unknown  regions, 
The  pirate  kings  of  isles  unfound: 
On  haystacks  golden,  our  galleons  golden, 
Sail  oceans  olden  of  meadow  ground. 

And  from  those  caitiffs,  the  hideous  natives, 
Invisible  tribes  that  swarm  the  wood, 
To  rescue  Molly,  or  Peg,  or  Polly, 
With  her  dear  dolly  as  pirates  should.  .  .  . 

O  tanned  and  freckled  and  sunbeam-speckled! 
O  barefoot  joy  that  romped  the  years! 
O  reckless  rapture!     O  long-lost  rapture! 
Beyond  the  capture  of  all  our  tears! 
170 


EPILOGUE 


T  T  THEN  dusk  falls  cool  as  a  rained-on  rose, 
*  *     And  a  tawny  tower  the  twilight  shows, 
With  the  crescent  moon,  the  silver  moon,  the 
curved  new  moon  in  a  space  that  glows, 
A  turret  window  that  grows  a-light; 
There  is  a  path  that  my  Fancy  knows, 
A  glimmering,  shimmering  path  of  night, 
That  far  as  the  Land  of  Faery  goes. 

II 

And  I  follow  the  path,  as  Fancy  leads, 

Over  the  mountains,  into  the  meads, 

Where  the  firefly  cities,  the  glowworm  cities, 

the  fairy  cities  are  strung  like  beads, 
Each  city  a  twinkling  star: 
And  I  live  a  life  of  valorous  deeds, 
And  march  with  the  Fairy  King  to  war, 
And  ride  with  his  knights  on  milk-white  steeds. 
171 


THE     GIANT     AND     THE     STAR 
III 

Or  it 's  there  in  the  whirl  of  their  life  I  sit, 
Or  dance  in  their  houses  with  starlight  lit, 
Their   blossom   houses,    their   flower    houses, 

their  elfin  houses,  of  fern-leaves  knit, 
With  fronded  spires  and  domes: 
And  there  it  is  that  my  lost  dreams  flit, 
And  the  ghost  of  my  childhood,  smiling,  roams 
With  the  fairy  children  so  dear  to  it. 

IV 

And  it 's  there  I  hear  that  they  all  come  true, 

The  fairy-stories,  whatever  they  do  — 

Elf  and  goblin,  dear  elf  and  goblin,  loved  elf 

and  goblin  and  all  the  crew 
Of  witch  and  wizard  and  gnome  and  fay, 
And  prince  and  princess,  that  wander  through 
The  storybooks  we  have  put  away, 
The  fairytales  that  we  loved  and  knew. 


The  face  of  Adventure  lures  you  there, 
And  the  eyes  of  Danger  bid  you  dare, 
While  ever  the  bugles,  the  silver  bugles,  the 
far-off  bugles  of  Elfland  blare, 
172 


EPILOGUE 

The  fairy  trumpets  to  battle  blow; 
And  you  feel  their  thrill  in  your  heart  and  hair, 
And  you  fain  would  follow  and  mount  and  go 
And  march  with  the  Fairies  anywhere. 

VI 

And  she  —  she  rides  at  your  side  again, 
Your  little  sweetheart  whose  age  is  ten: 
She    is   the   princess,   the   fairy   princess,   the 

princess  fair  that  you  worshipped  when 
You  were  a  prince  in  a  fairytale; 
And  you  do  great  deeds  as  you  did  them  then, 
With  your  magic  spear,  and  enchanted  mail, 
Braving  the  dragon  in  his  den. 

VII 
And  you  ask  again,  — "  Oh,  where  shall  we 

ride, 

Now  that  the  monster  is  slain,  my  bride  ?  "  — 
"Back    to    the    cities,    the    firefly    cities,    the 

glowworm  cities  where  we  can  hide, 
The  beautiful  cities  of  Faeryland. — 
And  the  light  of  my  eyes  shall  be  your  guide, 
The   light   of   my   eyes   and  my   snow-white 

hand  — 
And  there  forever  we  two  will  abide." 


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UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


